My Thoughts On: Statistics in Football

Nothing seems to divide the footballing world more than the use and implementation of statistics; whether it’s from clubs, television pundits or anyone on Twitter. My opinion, on the whole, has leaned more on the positive side since learning about how much they can tell you about the beautiful game.

Firstly, stats have been something I’ve wanted to grasp since first learning about it entirely. On my original blog (which I deleted right before starting this one), I first used them in a post discussing Tiemoue Bakayoko and a potential move to Manchester United (yes, that long ago). From then on, I would try and include different statistics concerning the topic at hand. Looking back, however, I don’t think I did understand what I was saying, using them for nothing more than emphasising my point, instead of challenging that view. It’s something you see a lot on twitter. Many accounts with a famous player as their avatar do love to throw out random stats about their favourite player to push their agenda further. It’s something along the lines of x player has scored more goals against the big clubs than y player. The one thing you have to remember about stats and football is they aren’t wrong, people are.

The most significant benefit of using stats in football is its method of narrowing down your needs. We’ll get onto why the general stats can never tell the full story of a player, but you can use them to figure out what a player does. Looking at a player’s total aerial duels can tell you if said player can deal with the ball in the air, while total passes can say to you who in a team is the player responsible for keeping possession. It does sound rather simple, and there are some complexities to it. However, some of the more well-known stats are still some of the most useful. Seeing how many shots a striker puts up is still something I rely on when big money moves are involved. Stats can help narrow down your options if you’re looking at who you’d like your club to sign.

Context is the most important thing to consider when stats are involved. The numbers can tell you a lot about a particular player, but it’s essential to not only look at where he ranks in his club but to watch him with your own two eyes. Let’s take Jack Grealish, for example, and I’ll explain why later. Grealish’s return to the Premier League has been stunning, and the numbers even show this. The midfielder’s making 2.7 shot assists per game, more than Trent Alexander-Arnold, David Silva and Willian. It does show that Grealish, on the whole, does create more chances in a game than some big performances for top-six sides. However, you quickly realise that the reason Grealish is creating so much is because of the style of play that Dean Smith prefers. He wants his star player to be on the ball as much as possible, to ensure his side have the best chance of avoiding the drop.

You should always look at the numbers behind the numbers (if that makes sense). James Maddison has been a high-level creator since arriving in the Premier League. Maddison is second in the league for total shot-creating actions (154), one place ahead of Grealish (141). It’s arguably the main reason why the pair are put side to side, especially with potential big moves on the horizon. But when looking into their passing, there’s one area where they massively differ. From open play, Grealish has made 102 passes that lead to a shot attempt, while Maddison has created a much lower 70 passes. The other part of Maddison’s passing game is his set-piece delivery, something where he does excel over the Villa captain. Maddison has completed 51 dead-ball passes that lead to a shot attempt, 36 ahead of Grealish. While both players are great creators, it’s evident that in the area of passing, they can offer something completely different, depending on what your team needs. Manchester United might find Jack Grealish’s versatility and creativity from open play more tempting since Fernandes handles their set-pieces. At the same time, a team like Arsenal would prefer Maddison, who could replace Ozil as the team’s primary set-piece taker.

But as I’ve learned more, I’ve also begun to sympathise they the group who are entirely against the use of numbers in sports. We’ll start with the obvious point of making a sport built on enjoyment and insane highs and boiling it down to models and figures. People watch football for the thrill, and while there are a lot of players who back up their entertaining performances with good numbers, there are a lot who don’t. Adama Traore is an absolute delight to watch sprinting down the wing and trying to take on a whole team on his own, but the numbers label him quite inefficient. Even the idea of Manchester United keeping Pogba and signing Grealish to play alongside Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial sounds like a defensive nightmare for any coach, but who cares. The potential interplay, magic and spectacular goals will make people run to their seats for the first time since prime Rooney. I’ll always say that clubs should follow the o-ring theory (to summarise, it encourages clubs to focus on improving their weaknesses instead of adding to their strengths) but it’s hard to argue against the case of wanting to watch and enjoy football.

In all honesty, the only stat that I’ll always defend and encourage people to look at and use in expected goals. It’s one of the more complicated stats to understand at first, but once grasped, it can become beneficial when viewing matches and team performances. As you can probably imagine, I don’t have the time to keep up with every team’s performances in Europe. It’s why my focus is now primarily Bundesliga, Premier League and Champions League matches. Expected goals can give me a rough estimation of how teams are performing in their domestic league. I do generally keep up with who is topping leagues for shot assists, shots, aerial duels and other applicable numbers. Expected goals won’t give you the full picture, but it can give you an indication on what to look out for when next watching a team you haven’t seen for a large part of the season.

The last thing to mention regarding this subject is never to alienate people. Unless your career has an association with stats in football (data companies, writers, scouts .etc), there is simply no need to wave your superior knowledge to someone who either doesn’t understand the use of numbers or has no intention learning about it. There are still plenty of experts I follow on twitter who’s thoughts and opinions I value even if they don’t throw out xG numbers every match day. Be wary of how you’re using stats, and never include them unless you understand or have some relevance to the topic. Nothing can ever tell you more about a player than your own two eyes. If you’re ever interested in a player’s numbers, watch them in a game and see if they’re strengths remain. Never entirely rely on numbers for anything, because they will never tell you the full story.

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My Premier League Fantasy Football 19/20 – September

As promised, let’s look at just how well my fantasy team performed over August, and looking at how my team is shaping up after the international break. I’ll be going through each game week, and bringing up any time I’ve added new players and why.

Game Week 1 – Big Clubs Performing 

My team didn’t change from before the season into game week 1. It can best be described by Liverpool and Man City players doing what they do best and scoring goals. I earned 112 points that week, with a majority going to the big players. I smartly, yet predictably, put Sterling as captain in their 5-0 win over West Ham, a game where he scored a hat-trick. My strategy of prioritising defence over midfield worked wonders, with 4 of my players keeping clean sheets. It would have been a better start, had West Ham not been playing Manchester City. Having 3 West Ham players in my team wasn’t my smartest move, especially with Diop, but teams always get demolished by the champions. The points they drop could be ignored in the grand scheme of things. It was a strong week, with a lot of my players just getting those goals and clean sheets I’m desperately searching for.

Game Week 2 – Harrowing Hammers

My stupidity in putting 3 West Ham players came back to bite me, when Felipe Anderson and Haller both didn’t play against Brighton. I only got 52 points that week, and while putting Sterling as captain worked out once again, a lot of the players I was relying on just didn’t perform. Liverpool won, but Salah didn’t score and Van Dijk failed to keep a clean sheet. That was the story of a lot of my defenders, bar Digne, who was excellent once again in Everton’s 1-0 victory over Watford.

With Haller not playing, I put in Pukki after his hat-trick against Newcastle. He was cheaper and Norwich were looking great in the final third. I would inevitably regret this decision in the future, but for now a change was needed, just to give my team slightly more variety.

Game Week 3 – A Slight Improvement

I decided to make an obvious change and bring in Lewis Dunk, with West Ham being quite bad defensively, something I just seemed to forget. While my defence did nothing and midfield contributed slightly, it was in the forward department where everything just seemed to click. Pukki scored twice and assisted for Norwich in their game against Chelsea, which I slightly predicted and put him as captain for it. Salah and Sterling returned to scoring, which mostly contributed to much improved total of 77 points.

Game Week 4 – Everything Against Me

If Game Week 2 was bad, Game Week 4 was even worse. This can basically be summed up as nothing going my way. Salah did score, but Pukki and Sterling didn’t. The midfield failed do anything, while the defence did better, with 2 clean sheets and a great performance from Digne. The problem was Lampard decided to drop Christensen the week I decided to bring him in, making the whole transfer rather pointless. A low total of 46 meant changes were needed, even if the low amount can be blamed on bad luck more than poor selection.

September

Thankfully for me, the international break allowed all Fantasy Football players to have an overhaul, meaning they could make up to five tranfers that aren’t counted towards the 40 limit of transfers you can make in a season. I took full advantage of this and decided to change some of the weaker parts of the team and aim for short term success, adding players who have been in good form.

Starting in defence, I, like many other players, brought in Leicester defender Soyuncu. he costed a measily £6.2 million and seemed to be the first choice alongside Jonny Evans. Leicester have been great so far this season and adding a defender makes sense, especiallty for the price. Vestergaard was brought in for Coady. Southampton have looked good defensively so far this season and the Danish defender is one of the first names on Hassenhuttl’s teamsheet. While I am fully expecting a couple zero-pointers from him, he is decent value for money, considering he costed just over £7 million.

Midfield was another area in desperate need for surgery. I still think Maddison will chip in with a decent amount of points, but it was Anderson and Gros who needed to be changed. James was brought in just to have a player from Manchester United. I do not expect him to remain in my team for the whole month, but he is in good form and hopefully will continue scoring goals. Buendia was added just to accomodate the forward line, and Norwich are likely to remain a decent attacking side.

Last but not least, is the inclusion of Aubameyang. The only reason I didn’t include him sooner was because I thought it wouldn’t be possible. Through adding some cheap, in-form players, I managed to do it, and I can’t see those three forwards changing, unless one of them picks up an injury. I would say my team is an improvement over the one primarily used in August. However, I’ve already made mistakes and that is likely to continue as the weeks go by, whilst I frantically and foolishly try and change any player I can in an attempt to gain an upper hand. Let’s hope the international break has changed my fortunes.

My Premier League Fantasy Football 19/20: August

Fantasy football is a game I take extremely seriously, so I thought it would be fun to show people how I set up my team throughout the season. This team is something I will attempt to update every month, to show my progress and how my team is consistently changing, and it will. I use the Sky Sports Fantasy Football app, in case it is different on other services.

My Team:

Defence

Let’s start from back to front. Ederson has been my first choice since he arrived in the league and has failed to give me a reason to change. Pep is a known enemy of fantasy football players because of his habit to change his line up so often. Ederson is one of the few players Pep will never drop. While Ederson might not make the same amount of saves as Fabianski or one of the bottom club keepers, but makes a high number of passes and is apart of one of the best.

Van Dijk is a must inclusion. While he is the most expensive defender, I’ve come to realise how vital clean sheets and passes have become for gaining points, so having a player who is apart of the best defence in the league is the way to go. Van Dijk also has a habit of scoring for Liverpool, which combining that with the number of clean sheets he will keep, make him one of the players who are likely never to leave my team this season.

Coady and Diop are here for similar reasons. Both stood out for their sides last season, and I expect that to continue. Wolves are very organised and play a pragmatic system that enables their defenders to keep those precious clean sheets. Willy Boly’s price has increased substantially from last season, so bringing in his teammate for less was the sensible thing to do. I try to avoid having more than one defender from the same team. It could be useful in certain games, but wouldn’t work if the said team had an off-day.

Last but not least is Lucas Digne. He is the only full-back in the side, and his inclusion is primarily down to wanting at least one creative defender at the back. Digne was the creative hub for Everton last season, and while there are question marks over his defensive ability, he contributes so much for Everton in the final third that he is worth having in here. Wan-Bissaka was another full-back I was considering, but I feel his tackles numbers will drop and doesn’t contribute as much as Digne in the final third.

Midfield 

The centre of the park has always been the area I’ve struggled with regarding who to choose. You can either go down two roads in midfield; either go for players who will contribute in the final third, risking the occasional game where they won’t get more than 2 points, or go for a midfielder who will consistently get over 5 points but won’t get those goals and assists. What has made it even worse is the change of positions that Sky will do every season. While it makes sense to keep the game balanced, it can be frustrating when players who were guaranteed to start in the middle are now strikers.

After going through my pet peeves, let’s look at why I selected my midfielders, starting with Maddison. Last season, Maddison was the bargain I put straight into my team, knowing how well he would perform for Leicester. His price has increased from £7.5m to £8.6m, but he is still fantastic value for one of the best creators in the league. I’ve already discussed this before, but Leicester could do very well, and Maddison’s form is down to that expected success.

The next on the list is a player who is a must for all teams. After a fantastic debut season, this could be the season where Felipe Anderson takes that to another level. His goals did dry up near the end of the season, but with the improvements West Ham have made in attack with Fornals and Haller, that shouldn’t happen again. Anderson is the level of player that people think Wilfred Zaha is. The Brazilian is a fantastic dribbler, a great creator and has the coolness in the box to score plenty of goals. Last season, he even earned points from putting in 2.5 tackles per game. I expect that to drop with Fornals’ arrival, but it is an added benefit for an already complete skillset.

Last but not least is John McGinn. While many might prefer Grealish, McGinn, in terms of points, should do better depending on how well they follow up from their promotion campaign, with McGinn contributing to 16 goals, compared to Grealish’s 13. It’s unlikely to see the pair contribute to that many goals in a better league, but McGinn also did more defensive work than any other Villa player last season. That will likely increase with Villa not being able to attack teams similarly as they did in the Championship. Out of all my midfielders, McGinn is the most likely to change, but we’ll see how he does for the first few games.

Attack

Now to the most exciting part of the team. Attack is by far the area where it is most simple to judge how effective players are. I’ve chosen two players who I expect to get close to that 20 goal mark and another who should do well for the money. Let’s start with Salah. While I have my issues with him regarding his awful diving, it’s hard to deny just how good he is for Liverpool. His blistering pace and clinical finishing have made him one of the leagues best forwards, while also being able to create for his side. He began to be isolated by opposition full-backs, lowering his goal total, but it did mean Mane was able to reach double figures in goals for the first time in his career. What makes him such a threat is his left foot. It might be strange, but you rarely see right-wingers become the primary goal threat in the side. It’s why Messi, Robben and now Salah have been able to score so many goals. While expensive, he will make up for it in the points he will bring to my team.

Moving on to Sterling, who is another expected to score plenty of goals from out wide. Much to my dismay, he is now a striker. It makes sense considering he is far from a midfielder anymore, but it’s still a shame. It hasn’t stopped me from keeping him in my team for the third year, and we all know why. Sterling is one of the best attackers in Europe. His directness and intelligence have made him one of the most dangerous players to face on the pitch. He is a hardworking forward who can do just what Salah can while offering more versatility in attack. Sterling has always been excellent at finding space in the box, but his finishing has improved dramatically. Last season, he overperformed expected goals for the first time, showing how he has been able to score those more difficult chances. Salah does have the advantage of taking penalties, but Sterling will still stay close to the Egyptian forward.

Last but certainly not least is Sebastien Haller. While I love what he is offered a forward, using his colossal size to win the ball high up the pitch and feed his teammates, this choice is primarily down to price. Haller costs £8.2m, less than Pukki and Tosun and Ashley Barnes. It makes sense to add one of the best signings of the window, and while I’m not expecting him to score as many as Salah or Sterling, he should start a majority of West Ham’s games and contribute goals and assists for his side.

The areas I will eventually address is the lack of Tottenham, Manchester United and Arsenal players. It’s always good to have a player from each of the top 6 sides. While I might drop points when they play each other, they are still expected to dominate against the weaker teams, giving a perfect chance for goals and most importantly, clean sheets.

This team is by no means final. My goal is to give a monthly update, to show you all how I’m progressing and hopefully show which players are worth adding to your teams. The next update should be during the international break, so stay tuned!

Future Superstars! – Under 21 Team of the Season 18/19

With everyone making their team of the seasons and discussing which players should take the award of player of the season when it comes to a close, we’ll instead look at  young players across the big leagues in Europe, and make an XI of players who have stood out for their sides. We’ll mainly focus on players in the top 5 leagues, with some obvious inclusions from other leagues, so let’s get started. Important is they have to have been 21 when the season started, so if players who are 22 are here, then you know why.

Goalkeeper – Gianluigi Donnarumma 

There aren’t truly many options for this position, but we’ll go for AC Milan number one Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Italian has went to further establish himself in a Milan side that are still trying to find their feet. While his teammates are inconsistent to say the least, he has remained one of the best players in the side. He is a good distributor, commands his box and has put in some excellent performances for Milan. One of his stand out performances had to be against Genoa. The 20 year old made 8 saves, and had a 93% pass accuracy. His future still seems to be as bright as it was when he broke onto the scene as a 16 year old.

RB – Aaron Wan-Bissaka 

My love for Wan-Bissaka isn’t hidden at this point. The Crystal Palace defender has been the best full back in the Premier League this season. His crazy high 6.2 tackles and interceptions per game, comfortably the highest in the team and the second highest in the league. He has only been dribbled past by less than 10 players in the league, highlighting just how good he is in those one-on-ones, and his anticipation shines. I even highlighted the Englishman last season for his great performances, by putting him in my team of the season for players outside of the top 6, and seeing him succeed is just so gratifying. Wan-Bissaka actually came through the ranks as a winger, which explains why he’s such a good dribbler, completing 1.7 per game. With Manchester United and Bayern Munich looking at right backs, it makes the prospect of Palace keeping him nearly impossible.

CB – Matthijs de Ligt

I cannot imagine anyone arguing with this choice. De Ligt’s transformation from a small kid playing in the Europa League final against Manchester United, to one of the best young defenders the world has ever seen has to go down to hard work and a brilliant mentality. Playing for arguably the best club in Europe for developing young players, it has given him the platform to succeed and show the world what kind of player he is and can be. His performances in the Champions League have been fantastic. He has shown a calmness and maturity that you don’t see from many players of his age. His distribution also needs to be admired, with the 19 year old completing 63 passes per game, with a 88.2% accuracy. It’s an area which many elite clubs are looking to improve, and he showing all of these things at an age where it gives him years to still improve. If Van Dijk’s record remains this summer, I will be very surprised.

CB – Ibrahima Konate

Leipzig have been a recent breeding ground for young defenders, with Upamecano, Mukiele and Bernardo being recent talents to blossom for them. Konate is another prospect to shine for them. He’s already beeing touted for a big move to Arsenal and it’s earned. With Leipzig playing such an offensively minded system, stand out defenders are needed. Konate is both athletic and a great reader of the game, with the Frenchman making 2.3 interceptions per 90. Thanks to their defenders being so high up the pitch, it leaves them vunerable to long balls towards opposition strikers. It makes the importance of aerial dominant defenders important, and Konate fits the bill. The Frenchman has a respectable 67.3% aerial win percentage, showing how he can deal with the threat. His passing could be better, with a defender’s ability on the ball a sought after part of their game. He is still only 19, meaning his future remains very bright. He’s been one of the best defenders in the Bundesliga and has stood out in a side full of promising players.

LB –  Achraf Hakimi

When discussing Real Madrid’s systemic failure this season, it can be aquainted to making bad decisions. Whether it is selling their best player and not replacing him with a player of similar quality, or in Hakimi’s case, letting a player leave who could have definitely had an effect on the side. The Moroccan international has been the boost that Dortmund needed. With constant injury problems related to Schmelzer and Guerreiro, adding a player who could help with giving the side width, and most importantly, moving the ball. Hakimi is an excellent dribbler, and was nearly the opposite of his full back partner, Lukasz Piszczek, who defensive first. It gave Hakimi a lot of responsibility on a side of the pitch that didn’t have the same consistency as the other. He relished this role, and has been one of the most sought after full backs in Europe. His ability to play on both sides makes him so useful to have, but its his dribbling that is so great. He’s completing 2 dribbles per 90, which is great for both a full back and a young player. He is isn’t a stand out creator by any means, but that isn’t his role. He has to get his side far up the pitch, using his athleticism and ability on the ball. He ranks 4th in the squad for passes completed per game. He is essential in Dortmund’s attempts to move up the field, with not many young players in the world being so adept at passing in a possession that rarely sees that quality. A must for this side

RM – Jadon Sancho 

Rumours are already surfacing, linking Jadon Sancho with £100m moves to the Premier League, and I would definitely pay that. Sancho is having a similar break out season that Mbappe had in that final season at Monaco, which saw the Frenchman earn a £170m move to PSG. Sancho is having a similar season to that. The teenager is one of only a handful of players who is in double figures for both goals and assists. He’s turned into a very good dribbler and creator. Sancho was always seen to be a player who destined for great things, but for him to do it this rapidly is just incredible.  His shot numbers stand at a decent 1.6 per 90, but he’s completing a crazy 3.9 dribbles and making 2.6 key passes. Those are top 10 players in the world numbers, and he’s doing it for a title challenging side in a respectable league. His xGP90 is sitting at 0.58, which is roughly a goal contribution every other game. This shows just how promising the young winger is, being able to have such a stamp on a side full of talent in his first true season. His numbers are spectacular, but there’s more to him than that. His maturity, intelligence and his risk taking is what makes him such a desirable prospect, and arguably the break out star of the season.

CM – Frenkie De Jong

The Eredivise has had this huge problem with analysing talent. Players can have truly excellent seasons, but thanks to the standard of the league, you have to take it with a grain of salt when looking at their numbers and involvement. This current Ajax team has been trying to break that rule, and no one has done so more than Frenkie De Jong. The Dutchman came off the back of a very good 2017/18 season, and decided to take that to the next level. It’s earned him a £75m move to Barcelona, and will add so much to a side that has been needing a player like him for a long time. De Jong is a true all rounder. He is averaging 3 tackles and interceptions per 90, while also completing 80 passes, creating 1.4 chances and completing 2 dribbles.  These are numbers similar to a peak Modric, who was helplessly embarassed by De Jong. While his numbers in the Eredivise have been outstanding, it’s his performances in the Champions League that have really taken the headlines. He dismantled Real Madrid in their own turf, and when playing Juventus in the Johan Cruyff Stadium, he made it nearly impossible to take him out of the game. Every time Bentancour tried to get near him, De Jong would just drop between the defenders to receive the ball. Since he is such a good dribbler, he can just get the ball and walk right through the opposition defence, with no one able to get a finger on him. He’s attempting 1.8 dribbles in the Champions League per match, and is completing 78% of them. Those are peak Moussa Dembele numbers, a player who was famed for his dribble success rate. De Jong will be a superstar, and has everything to put him down as a potential great.

CM – James Maddison 

Moving back to the Premier League and for the final time, let’s look at James Maddison, who has had a spectacular season. The former Norwich midfielder took the step up the Premier League, and already looks like he belongs here. With Leicester losing Mahrez, they needed a creator and someone to help with moving the ball into the final third, and Maddison has fitted the bill. He is creating more chances than any other player in the league with 3.3 key passes per 90. While Leicester have been inconsistent to say the least, Maddison has put in good performance after good performance. His chance creation is incredible, but his dribbling should not be forgotten here. He’s completing 1.5 dribbles per 90, which is good for a player who has been played behind the striker. He reads the game well and has created a great relationship with Jamie Vardy. He constantly wants to get on the ball and is always looking to make positive moves. The only problem is his shooting. His shot map is a mess to say the least, with Maddison taking shots in bad places. A coach needs to try and wipe that out of his game, and ensure he is not wasting chances like that. The future is bright for Maddison, and could be the real central creator that his country has been looking for.

LM – Joao Felix

I mentioned how some leagues have created this impression of risk, and Liga Nos might be the most infamous. Whenever you see an Oblak or Nelson Semedo, you’ll see a Perez or a Jackson Martinez. It’s a league that doesn’t create the same teams that you see in Holland. The sides are usually good defensively and efficient in attack, which makes attackers especially a huge risk. While there have been many failures, Joao Felix doesn’t look like one. The Benfica attacker has had a great season, breaking the record for youngest player to score a hat trick in the Europa League, and that is only the tip of the iceberg. His best performances have all come as a striker, where he has scored 12 and assisted 6 in 18. His shot numbers aren’t crazy high, but when he’s played, it’s usually been with Seferovic, who’s taking roughly 2.6 shots per game (Felix is at 2.4). There has been more to his game than this. He’s also creating 1.1 chances a game, the fourth highest in the squad. His general anticipation and maturity is what has made him stand out, but I think any move for him this summer would be premature. he doesn’t seem to be showing the same insanity in terms of elite numbers, but there is a top level player here. He just needs to play more games before making the step up. A great start for Joao Felix in his break out season.

ST – Kylian Mbappe

Who else? Mbappe is now in the top 5 players in the world for me. Only Messi and Neymar can be argued to be more perfect attackers than the World Cup winner. He’s taking 4.7 shots per 90, with 3.5 coming in the box. He’s taking more shots in the box than most players are taking in a game. He’s had some stand out performances this season, with his hat trick against Lyon earlier in the season being arguably a career high. While he is arguably at the level of Messi and Neymar, he doesn’t have the same wow factor as they do. This is a complement if you can believe, because it makes him more direct and attack with less patience about it. Going on would be pointless because everyone knows just how good Mbappe is. He is player everyone in the world wants.

ST – Luka Jovic

Last but not least, we’re returning to the Bundesliga for our final player. Jadon Sancho has been on the lips of every Bundesliga viewer, but Jovic has been fantastic. I’ve watched a lot of the young Serb since those 5 goals he scored earlier in the season, and he just keeps impressing me. He’s taking shots in great areas, he’s two footed, good in the air and puts some real power on his shots. A small detail there but it’s great to see someone who looks like they want to break the net whenever they score. His xG contribution per 90 stands at 0.90, which is elite levels for a player who hasn’t had much experience at the top. In hindsight this could have been predicted. His xGP90 was 0.74 last season, showing how in little game time, he was still having an incredible effect on his side. The only thing he needed was a manager who was going to start him every game, and that is what he’s got. Jovic looks to be the next super star striker in Europe, similar to Kane or Aguero. It won’t be long until he’s playing for Europe’s truly elite.