Stats, Stats, Stats – Where Do City Rate On Key League One Metrics?

Stats aren’t for everyone, but I thought it might be interesting to see how the Imps are rating for a number of key metrics in League One this season.

I’m not trying to infer anything here; I am merely presenting the stats from Wyscout with a little comment, for you to interpret as you will. I guess interpretation of stats is key – can you really make numbers say what you want?

I haven’t been selective with the stats; I have merely picked ones where we rank in the top or bottom six or seven, for comparison. Ones where we’re middle of the road are neither here nor there to me, this is a story of the extremes!

Ball Possession

For ball possession, we have the lowest percentage in the division. In terms of sample size, it’s not hard to see why – after 13 games, we have seen certain teams have a lot more possession, which skews the numbers somewhere.

Still, this does point to us being a team that thrives on not having the ball. The problem teams have to face is this – when they do give us the ball, we’re not bad with it (Exeter and Stevenage), so you can’t use that to beat us up.

Average Age

Remember when our average age was among the lowest in the division? Yeah, we’ve changed that.

Sonny Bradley, Adam Reach, James Collins, Adam Jackson and Tendayi Darikwa have all pushed us up the age table, and we now have the fourth-oldest squad! Talk about extremes, right? Our average age has been 27.3 this season, well above the league average of 25.8.

Shots on Target (% Only)

Criticism from Michael Skubala has been about us trying to score the ‘perfect goal’ on occasion, and that is evidenced here. We have 41.7% on target for shots, which is the best in the division. However, we also have the lowest number for shots per 90 minutes (not shown).

That is why it seems crazy that against Exeter, we had so many shots and missed the target (and, to a degree, Stevenage). Perhaps that’s an example of us trying to get more away and take more from periods of games in which we dominate.

Defensive Duels (Per 90 Minutes)

Given that games against Northampton and Bolton saw us defending for large periods, it’s no surprise we’re up there for the number of defensive duels per 90. Our success rate is slightly below some of the teams around us, but we’re fighting hard and contesting defensive balls all over the pitch.

What is interesting is that 92 of those defensive duels have been contested by Ben House – 10.7% of all our defensive duels!

Shots Blocked (Per 90 Minutes)

Lincoln City block shots. One complaint I had last season was that we seemed easy to get through; shots would ricochet through our defence and inevitably end up in the net. We didn’t seem as good at blocking, but this season, we’re the best.

Our defence blocks 3.96 shots per 90 minutes, a total of 53 across the season so far. It’s an indication of our never-say-die attitude, which has been more evident this campaign.

Interceptions (Per 90 Minutes)

Another defensive metric, another good return. We’re above league average for the number of blocks, but third for blocks per 90 minutes: only Northampton and Burton have more.

As with the defensive duels and as with the blocked shots, we’re proving to be a team well organised at the back, capable of shutting other sides out and stopping them from getting down our sides, or through the lines.

Fouls (Per 90 Minutes)

I guess it was inevitable that with all those good defensive numbers, we’d commit a foul or two along the way. This table is a bit misleading, because even though we’re top, it’s only by around one foul per game.

Still, 30 fouls more than Stevenage? Ouch.

Passes (Per 90 Minutes)

I remember the arguments about passing for passing’s sake under Kennedy and Appleton. That’s not something we need to worry about now. We’re a bit more direct, and you won’t find us faffing about with the ball at the back.

We play fewer passes than anyone in the division, 250-ish per game. Stevenage are not far behind, and with games to play in hand, they may overtake us. Still, this fits with the possession stats as well – we don’t hold onto the ball needlessly.

Through Pass Accuracy (Per 90 Minutes)

One element of what we do now is that less is more. We don’t try through balls all the time, but when we do, they’re good. I think we’re better in terms of pass selection and even shot selection, which is why accuracy in this field (and shots) is towards the top, but numbers are a lot lower.

We try far fewer through passes per 90 than some others, but when we do, they’re usually accurate.

Progressive Runs (Per 90 Minutes)

Carrying the ball gets fans out of their seats, which means we all have warm bums! That’s flippant, but we don’t have players who carry the ball a lot. When Tom Bayliss or Reeco Hackett do run with it they’re decent, but it’s far less than any other side in the division.

In total, we’ve only tried 78 ball carries, which is half the divisional average and more than three times fewer than the 271 that Bolton Wanderers manage. It might have been higher if we’d had Adam Reach all season!

We still feel wholly entertained when at the Bank. Maybe the game isn’t all about flying wingers and technical skills after all. Maybe it is getting the ball in the box and being sensible with shot selection!