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]
Celtic 2, The Rangers 1, By Numbers
The Scottish League Cup Final is one the “free to air” data providers barely cover. So, here are the team numbers behind Celtic’s triumph on Sunday against The Rangers. Passing & Possession Celtic dominated possession more in the first half and it was impactful. At half time the possession was stacked 63%/37% in Celtic’s favour … [continue reading]
Relentless, By Numbers
On this week’s Huddle Breakdown (please subscribe on whatever channel you consume your podcasts) @jucojames spelt out how some of Celtic’s key metrics have declined since the World Cup hiatus. And they are some core metrics, for sure. Looking at Scottish matches only, expected goals (xG) is down from 2.99 to 2.82. Celtic are having … [continue reading]
Honest Mistakes – Weeks 24 and 25
This edition covers two SPFL fixture cards. On 1st February Celtic took on Livingston whilst The Rangers travelled to Tynecastle. 4th and 5th February saw The Rangers entertain Ross County whilst Celtic took their tractor to Perth. The impact of a call being incorrect can be evaluated using the framework outlined here -> Honest Mistakes … [continue reading]
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]
Honest Mistakes – Week 23
Another week, another terabyte of digital space used debating VAR. This week, Celtic travelled to Tangerine Tannadice whilst Micky Beale’s plucky challengers hosted the Saints of Perth. The impact of a call being incorrect can be evaluated using the framework outlined here -> Honest Mistakes in the SPFL. 28/01/23 The Rangers vs St Johnstone Incident … [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]