From 650,000 players to the number one target

Inside the confines of Manchester City's sophisticated data operation is a fundamental phrase its experts work towards: "What does it take to win?"City's devotion to data is at the heart of their efforts to close the gap on Arsenal and BBC Sport has been given unprecedent access to the inner workings of the club's metrics machine as we uncover some of the secrets guiding their work - particularly regarding player recruitment and sales.[Getty Images]The starting point for any new signing is City'