There can be no denying Celtic’s current form is poor compared to previous trophy-laden seasons. I will look at a range of key performance indicators to see where it might be going wrong. I have plotted each metric per game back to the start of last season (2017/18). I did not include the 2016/17 season … [continue reading]
Season Review
Life In The Danger Zone
Logic (and expected goals) tells us the closer you are to goal and more central, the better the chance of scoring generally. Which players are giving themselves the best chance to score? Shots In The Box Shooting from inside the box is usually better than shooting outside in terms of probability of scoring. Also, just … [continue reading]
The Sharp Shooters
I showed in the previous article how there is a wide disparity between players as the regards the quality of the shots they take. Also, we can look at shot accuracy and conversion rates. Shot Accuracy Shot accuracy is simply the % of all shots that are on target. If your shots are not on … [continue reading]
Why We Should Love Dembele and Sinclair
Not all shots are equal. We can assess the quality of the shots players take on to see who has the best chance of scoring. And we should learn to love those that take on good quality shots! Extending the xG concept we can assess the overall quality of the shots each player is taking. … [continue reading]
Pass of the Season
34,678 passes completed over the season and 126 goals – 275 passes per goal! There is always goal of the season but what was the pass of the season? Please read Concerning Packing to understand the some of the concepts being discussed here. Also, the Glossary threads through balls like a very sharp, pointy and … [continue reading]
Possession Stats Confirm Ajer Most Effective Defender
Rodgers is big on possession and wearing down the opposition patiently allied to a high press when possession is lost. Who best fits that approach based on last season’s data? The Glossary keeps things simple and never gives the ball away. I will look at each position (broadly) as to compare centre backs to wingers … [continue reading]
League Performance Regression? Yes. Here’s Why.
Celtic have won 20% less points in the SPFL than at this stage last season. To be fair, winning 97% of available points is almost an impossible target to exceed. Whilst this hardly constitutes a crisis, or even a slump, it is worth assessing what has changed, in the spirit of continual improvement. The Glossary … [continue reading]
Half Term Report 1: No Hard Brexit Despite Performances
The “big picture” shows European football after the New Year. All macro objectives met. But our own eyes tell us Celtic’s performances have not always met the highs of last season. Celtic lost 5 matches all season in 16/17 and have lost 7 already this. To stand still is to inevitably go backwards. We seek … [continue reading]
Goodnight, Sweet Prince
In the sixth article in the 2016/17 season review series, I consider the work of the wingers. Arguably the strongest section of the team, last season was the story of three excellent players. Celtic play with either three attacking midfielders behind a striker, or three forwards of which two are wide. Sinclair has made the … [continue reading]
The Engine Room
The Engine Room is subsidiary to a review of season 16/17, and is the fifth chapter. Here I will consider the central midfield. This includes three distinct roles: Defensive or holding central midfielder – Bitton or Brown, and possibly Kouassi Box to box central midfielder – Armstrong or McGregor Classic Number 10 – Rogic … [continue reading]