Yesterday’s stats article looked at Lincoln City’s defending numbers, and today we’re using the international break to see how the Imps measure up at the other end of the pitch.
A few of our Patreon subscribers asked where we rank for some of this season’s stats, so let’s do some attacking ones today. We’ll kick off with expected goals (xG), which isn’t really a stat, but measures the quality of the chances we’ve created.
You might be surprised to see our total of 25.22 puts us 13th in the Championship, just below the league average of 26.21. Set that against the 26.81 xGA we looked at yesterday, and our expected goal difference comes out at -1.59. Our actual goal difference is -11.
Eeeek.
| Rank | Team | Total xG | xG per 90 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middlesbrough | 39.71 | 2.47 |
| 2 | Cardiff City | 38.46 | 2.35 |
| 3 | West Ham United | 37.52 | 2.32 |
| 4 | Southampton | 31.30 | 1.92 |
| 5 | Millwall | 30.95 | 1.92 |
| 13 | Lincoln City | 25.22 | 1.56 |
| 20 | Preston North End | 19.96 | 1.23 |
| 21 | Derby County | 18.97 | 1.15 |
| 22 | Watford | 18.91 | 1.16 |
| 23 | Blackburn Rovers | 18.48 | 1.15 |
| 24 | Charlton Athletic | 16.83 | 1.03 |
Middlesbrough lead the division for xG and also put in more crosses per 90 than anyone else, with 18.78.
We average 11.37, which puts us 22nd for volume, but there is some good news. We’re top of the Championship for accuracy at 41.8%, well above the league average of 33.28%.
| Rank | Team | Total shots | Shots per 90 | On target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middlesbrough | 302 | 18.78 | 35.4% |
| 2 | Cardiff City | 278 | 16.97 | 36.0% |
| 3 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 273 | 16.69 | 35.5% |
| 4 | West Ham United | 259 | 16.03 | 34.4% |
| 5 | Birmingham City | 260 | 15.88 | 38.1% |
| 20 | Burnley | 189 | 11.61 | 31.2% |
| 21 | Sheffield United | 189 | 11.60 | 38.6% |
| 22 | Lincoln City | 184 | 11.37 | 41.8% |
| 23 | Blackburn Rovers | 173 | 10.72 | 27.2% |
| 24 | Watford | 156 | 9.56 | 25.6% |
The general observation is that we lack flair, and I think that’s evident here. We’re further down the table for dribbles, with our 144 attempts the fewest in the Championship. That works out at 8.89 per 90, nearly five fewer than the league average of 13.87. We’ve been successful with 59% of them, a little below the division’s 61.12%.
| Rank | Team | Total | Per 90 | Success |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 316 | 19.32 | 57.9% |
| 2 | West Ham United | 300 | 18.57 | 75.7% |
| 3 | Cardiff City | 297 | 18.13 | 60.3% |
| 4 | Queens Park Rangers | 280 | 17.11 | 64.6% |
| 5 | Middlesbrough | 279 | 17.35 | 64.9% |
| 20 | Southampton | 192 | 11.79 | 61.5% |
| 21 | Millwall | 187 | 11.57 | 58.3% |
| 22 | Wrexham | 178 | 10.94 | 64.0% |
| 23 | Preston North End | 173 | 10.70 | 64.2% |
| 24 | Lincoln City | 144 | 8.89 | 59.0% |
We’re closer to the middle of the pack for touches in the opposition box, which is encouraging given our general game plan of getting the ball into the box and keeping it there. Our 284 touches work out at 17.54 per 90, just over one below the league average of 18.58.
That puts us 14th, one place below our ranking for total xG, with Middlesbrough leading the way in both.
| Rank | Team | Total touches | Touches per 90 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middlesbrough | 456 | 28.36 |
| 2 | West Ham United | 428 | 26.49 |
| 3 | Queens Park Rangers | 384 | 23.46 |
| 4 | Cardiff City | 369 | 22.53 |
| 5 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 352 | 21.52 |
| 14 | Lincoln City | 284 | 17.54 |
| 20 | Blackburn Rovers | 239 | 14.81 |
| 21 | Charlton Athletic | 240 | 14.68 |
| 22 | Preston North End | 230 | 14.23 |
| 23 | Watford | 203 | 12.45 |
| 24 | Stoke City | 200 | 12.31 |
We’re close to the Championship average for both touches in the opposition box and the chances we create, which gives us something to build on after the international break.
We attempt fewer dribbles than anyone else and only two sides cross less often per 90, so there’s room to ask a few more questions of defenders. When we do get a cross in, our accuracy is the best in the division.
I’d like to see if we can get into good positions to deliver a little more often and turn a few more of those touches in the box into chances.
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