The Most Important Football Metrics Every Fan Should Know

What Football Metrics Tell You About a Match

For a long time, soccer analytics was pretty simple: it showed the number of goals scored/attempted, corners, fouls, ball possession, etc. Even someone who wasn’t really into football and almost never watched matches could understand and interpret these stats. Yet, in the past few decades, the situation has changed greatly.

Thanks to modern technology, we can process data volumes we couldn’t have imagined before. This also applies to the football data analysis, as we can now analyze this sport in more depth and with more accuracy. We now have advanced football metrics, including:

• Player performance metrics: how does one particular player perform in his matches, what are his historical stats, fitness levels, and what can we expect from his future performances?

• Team performance metrics: how successful one team was in its previous matches, how many wins/losses/draws, what’s this team’s ball possession, etc.

• Overall match metrics: how did a match between two teams go, how many fouls, corners, goals, etc.?

Before, all these stats would give us just a superficial overview of “what” happened on the field. Nowadays, these stats also tell us “how” and “why.” They show players’ or teams’ efficiency, and recognize surprising patterns and connections between different stats.

How to Read and Interpret Football Statistics

These football advanced stats aren’t always so easy to understand, even for a seasoned fan. Sometimes, it feels like new stats are being invented every day. You are left wondering how to read football stats and whether you even understand this game anymore.

Fortunately, you don’t have to do it on your own. You can get data from 180score.com, already collected, processed, analyzed, and interpreted. Instead of looking at raw numbers as if they were secret codes, you see the trends behind them and understand them.

Pro tip: When analyzing the stats, always remember that quality matters more than quantity. Sure, it’s great if your favorite player has made hundreds of passes, but it doesn’t mean much if none of those passes were turned into goals. Observe every stat in the context of its efficiency.

The Most Important Football Stats Every Fan Should Know

You probably know basic football laws and regulations, but you need to expand and deepen your knowledge if you want to become better at football performance analysis. Here are the most important football stats explained:

Offensive Statistics

Offensive statistics are important because they show a team’s attacking efficiency and scoring potential. Here are some of the most important stats in this category:

Expected goals (xG) – expected goals stats assign a value between 0.00 and 1.00 to every shot. This value shows the mathematical probability for that shot to become a goal, based on the historic data. For example, let’s say that xG = 0.3 for one shot. That shot, if taken 10 times, would result in 3 goals.

Non-penalty expected goals (npxG) – it shows a player’s expected goals, but without any goals that resulted from penalty kicks. This stat is important because it shows a player’s scoring potential during active and open play. Penalty kicks can inflate a player’s scoring potential, so this stat gives a more accurate insight.

Post-shot expected goals (PSxG) – this stat shows the quality of the shot and how difficult it was for the goalkeeper to stop it. PSxG measures the ball trajectory, speed, and where it landed inside the goalmouth.

Shot-creating actions (SCA) – SCA counts all offensive actions, such as pass, dribble, and drawn foul, that led to a shot. With this stat, you can identify the main playmakers on the team.

Defensive Statistics

A solid defense is just as important as a good offensive strategy, which is why you should also pay close attention to the defensive stats:

Passes per defensive action (PPDA) – PPDA shows how many passes the opponent team will make in the attacking three-quarters of the pitch before the defense team tries to intercept or challenge. Lower values indicate aggressive defense, while higher values indicate deeper defense strategies.

Challenge success rate – The percentage of defenders successfully winning the ball from the opponent actively dribbling at them. This stat shows how reliable the defense players are when stopping 1-on-1 drives.

Clearances – It shows how many times the defense player booted or headed the ball away from the penalty box, removing an immediate threat to the goal.

Progression Statistics

Between the defense and attack, the team needs to pass and move the ball forward, and progression statistics show how successfully the team does it:

Pass accuracy – The percentage that shows how many attempted passes were completed. It is an indicator of how safely the team can hold the ball, but this stat can be inflated if players keep making simple and low-risk lateral passes.

Progressive Passes and Carries – This stat shows only those passes that move the ball at least 10 yards closer to the opponent’s goal, and carries during which a player runs with the ball that same distance.

Expected Threats (xT) – The pitch is divided into several zones, and each zone is assigned a threat level based on the historical scoring probability. xT measures how much danger a player is causing by moving the ball from a safer zone to one with a higher threat level.

Common Mistakes When Interpreting Football Data

Football data is extremely useful, but if you interpret it incorrectly, it causes more damage than benefit. For example, don’t ignore the game state. If the winning team is sitting back and letting the opponent pass, it doesn’t mean that the losing team has suddenly become more dominant. It just means that the winning team is saving its energy and protecting its lead.

Additionally, don’t confuse a temporary hot streak with a true skill. If the xG stat is low, but the team is scoring much more than that, it will eventually slow down. Finally, don’t trust data from small samples, as it can be skewed more often than not.

Conclusion

Modern football stats and metrics have allowed us to dissect every match into the tiniest detail. Reading and interpreting these stats can be complicated. Hopefully, this article has made it easier for you!