Against St Mirren on Sunday, Liel Abada produced a substitutes performance as productive as any of recent times. Yes he was playing against 10 men who were sure to be tiring, but what he brought to the game was exactly what was needed. Abada has been involved in more matches than any other Celtic player … [continue reading]
Player Performance
Oh’s Challenge
With Giorgos Giakoumakis leaving, I thought I’d share the numbers on goals and expected goals (xG) per 90 minutes. The Greek scored 26 goals in 52 appearances and was an excellent fit for the requirements of a striker in Ange Postecoglou’s system. Fanfare over, here it is (data from this season – all competitions): Note … [continue reading]
Risk / Reward in Midfield
A short (lol) piece on assessing the risk versus reward dynamic amongst the central midfielders. Many supporters appreciated that “giving the ball away” is not always a negative per se, but the corollary to attempting high risk or creative passes. Losing the ball is worth it sometimes if there are chances being created and opponents … [continue reading]
Super Sub Giakoumakis
All the signs are that Giorgos Giakoumakis may not be a Celtic player come the end of the window. Whether the full story will ever emerge is unknown but my understanding is that his agent was exploring options regarding improving his contract but could not reach agreement with Celtic. As SPFL joint top scorer last … [continue reading]
Five Sub Rule Brings Unexpected Dividend
The five substitutes rule was introduced during the COVID-19 impacted seasons to help teams manage their squads on the understanding that many may be impacted by the disease in some way and to allow the flexibility to better manage player wellbeing. I was surprised this arrangement was taken on in Scottish football as a permanent … [continue reading]
Chance Involvement
A new view created today looking at volume of involvement in chance creation. This chart aggregates the per 90-minute average involvements as measured by: Total shots Total chances created Total secondary assisting passes (the pass before the one that created the chance) I have included the whole squad as it is interesting to compare similar … [continue reading]
Maeda’s World Cup Dividend
Since the World Cup we have seen some magic moments from Daizen Maeda. A run from the half way line and curling shot into the Hibernian net; Characteristic speed and anticipation to latch into Alfredo Morelos’s loose pass for the opener at Ibrox; Cutting onto Alex Bernabei’s monster pack pass before setting up Jota’s opener … [continue reading]
Giakoumakis, Juranovic and Occam’s Razor
Novacula Occami or Occam’s Razor is a principle that the simplest explanation is often the most likely to be correct. It is a principle applied to problem solving. The problem many Celtic supporters are trying to solve is why the club would seemingly sell two valued first team players so cheaply. Firstly, global go-to transfer … [continue reading]
O’Riley Does It Again
An aspect of packing I had not captured until this season concerns turnovers and recoveries. “What does all that jargon mean?” comes the plaintive cry. Let me unpack it. (Lol – I’m here all week.) Definitions Packing is the count and assignment of a value to score the taking out of opposition players with forward … [continue reading]
Hart Stopper
Today I am delighted to share a guest article by Martin McGinn. As a goalkeeper himself, Martin would like to offer some insight into Joe Hart this season. As an aside, I welcome guest articles so I you have a proposal please contact me to arrange. Take it away, Martin! Context and Summary Points This … [continue reading]