Glossary · Essay
Before the Assist, There's Another Pass Nobody Notices
Assists only credit the final pass before a goal. Shot-creating actions count the two plays before every shot, crediting the buildup that assist totals miss entirely.
Glossary
Plain explanations of the analytics and tactical terms that show up in modern football coverage.
Glossary · Essay
Territory Isn't Possession. Here's the Difference
Possession counts every touch the same, in your own box or the opponent's. Field tilt measures territory directly, by tracking where the passing actually happens.
Glossary · Essay
The Stat That Counts How Many Defenders One Pass Removes
A short pass through the right gap can do more damage than a long ball into open space. Packing counts how many defenders a single pass or dribble actually eliminates.
Glossary · Essay
Grading Goalkeepers by the Shots They Should Have Let In
Pre-shot xG can't see where the ball actually went. Post-shot xG grades a shot after it's struck, making it the clearest public way to rate a goalkeeper's shot-stopping.
Glossary · Essay
Why Analysts Strip the Penalties Out of a Striker's Numbers
Penalties inflate a striker's expected goals in a way that has nothing to do with open play. Non-penalty xG strips them out for a cleaner read on real chance creation.
Glossary · Essay
Forget Possession Share. Track Whether the Ball Is Actually Moving Forward
Possession share says who has the ball more, not what they do with it. Progressive passes and carries count how often the ball actually moves toward goal.
Glossary · Essay
Not Every Pass Forward Is Progress. Here's What Actually Threatens a Defense
Distance up the pitch isn't the same as danger created. Expected threat values every pass and carry by how much it actually raises the chance of a goal.
Glossary · Essay
How to Measure a Press Without Watching Every Minute of It
Pressing intensity is hard to judge by eye alone. PPDA counts how many passes a team allows before winning the ball back, turning a vague impression into a comparable number.
Glossary · Essay
The Assist Stat That Rewards the Pass, Not the Finish
An assist depends on someone else finishing the chance. Expected assists scores the pass itself, showing who is creating danger even when the strikers around them are missing it.
Glossary · Essay
What Expected Goals Actually Measures (and What It Doesn't)
Every shot carries a probability of becoming a goal. Expected goals puts a number on that probability, and gets misread more often than almost any other stat in the modern game.