Are All xG Models the Same?
Date Published: December 15, 2021
Seeing as xG (or expected goals) has become a staple of pundits, media, and fans alike when describing a game, I thought of comparing some existing xG models to see how well they correlate with each other and with the reality on the pitch. For this, I have used 3 different models:
1. StatsBomb via FBref (https://fbref.com/en/)
2. Opta via The Analyst (https://dataviz.theanalyst.com/season-reviews/2021/)
3. Understat (https://understat.com/league/EPL)
To ensure that I was comparing apples to apples, I chose to look only at the non-penalty/non-OG xG. This being said, here’s what I found.
Is the Relative Age Effect Present in the Premier League?
Date Published: December 16, 2021
The relative age effect has been described in a variety of settings and environments, ranging from football to academic ranking. I wanted to see if this effect is seen across the Premier League – are players born in specific months of the year more likely to “make it” at the professional level? Let’s find out!
Building and Encoding a Custom Scouting Tool
Date Published: December 31, 2021
If you have ever played Football Manager, you know how important scouts are in identifying hidden gems. Maybe you’ve even wanted to be a “scout for a day” in real life, but the scouting tools you’ve found online are too restrictive in terms of search parameters, or are too expensive for what they offer. So what I’ve been hard at work at for the past few months is my own, fully customizable, open-source scouting tool. Want to find out how it’s built? Read more below!
Penalties and Game Theory
Date Published: January 03, 2022
You’ve probably heard of the famous game the prisoner’s dilemma, where two prisoners have the opportunity to betray each other or cooperate. While their best option is to cooperate, they will invariably choose to betray each other. Why is that? And what does this have to do with penalties? Let’s find out!
Expected Points Models – Parts I and II
Dates Published: I: January 09, 2022; II: January 19, 2022
We’ve all, at some point in our lives, debated our friends whether “we deserve to be bottom half halfway through the season.” It has long been believed that the league table is not necessarily a good representation of on-pitch performances. So, can we determine a more accurate way of assessing performance? Let’s find out!
The Most Common Score in the Premier League
When the Premier League started in 1992, nobody would even dream of the global status it would achieve thirty years later. As the league progressed throughout the years, one would expect the scores to progress as well. But have they really? Let’s find out!