With 2020 now over, it’s the perfect time for a quick, analytical look back
at the Premier League across those twelve strange months.
So, here are seven stats that described something interesting about a club or a player.
Highest expected goals (xG) per 90:
Yes: Olivier Giroud. His reputation as a super-sub is well known,
during which he puts his physical gifts to good use against tiring defences. He’s got
the second-most goals as a substitute in Premier League history, trailing only Jermain Defoe (24).
2020’s Giroud bucked that trend. He’s not played as much as other strikers in the league,
but just 120 of Giroud’s 1,095 minutes have come as a sub – and
all of his eight Premier League goals came in games in which he’s started,
showing he’s still got the ability to compete at the highest level, even at the age of 34.
Highest open-play expected assists (xA) per 90: Kevin De Bruyne
Kevin De Bruyne being the most creative player in open play wasn’t a surprise.
His open play expected assists per 90 — which is calculated by considering
the xG value of the shots he assists — is unmatched in the league this year.
There are a few interesting players making up the rest of this list. Notice also the
absence of both Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, ranking just 23rd and 24th.
Ismaila Sarr is currently marooned in the Championship — putting up career lows for
goals and assists in the process, notching just 0.25 per 90, below his career average
of 0.36 — but was a decent chance creator for Watford last season, all things considered.
Che Adams’ fifth place ranking also furthered his growing reputation.
3.Most true interceptions per 1,000 opponent touches: N’Golo Kante
True interceptions considers both blocked passes and interceptions, counting more of
what matters when measuring players who break up play by reading and intercepting passes.
When adjusted for possession, Kante did more of both than any player in 2020.
Kante’s single title-winning season at Leicester was extraordinary. He made 9.9 true interceptions
per 1,000 opposition touches – for context, the sort of numbers you’d expect from two
decent ball-winners — but 2020 has seen Kante put up his strongest numbers in his Chelsea career.
4.Most true tackles per 1,000 opponent touches: Emiliano Buendia
Buendia, a winger by trade and now back in the Championship with Norwich,
sits above a bunch of very active defensive midfielders on the list of most
true tackles — defined as tackles attempted plus fouls plus challenges lost — in 2020.
It’s a surprise. Particularly given that Buendia was perceived as a ‘lazy’
or luxury player in early 2020, but the data proves that to be a misconception.
Elsewhere on the list, Allan has settled well into life at Everton and replicated
the busy tackling tendency that explains Carlo Ancelotti’s eagerness to sign him. Yves Bissouma
is having a good season at the base of Brighton’s midfield, making him one of the more intriguing
young midfield prospects in the league and, no doubt, alerting a few clubs higher up the table.
5.Best shot-stopper
Shot-stopper is the category here instead of best goalkeeper, as saving shots, while a big part of
the job, isn’t the only part of a goalkeeper’s job description. Let’s not pretend otherwise.
To measure shot-stopping, though, the quality of attempts — not just the volume — is
compared to the number of goals conceded. The difference between the two, Goals Prevented,
tells us how many goals a goalkeeper conceded compared to the average player.
Hugo Lloris just edges out Nick Pope as the best shot-stopper in 2020,
keeping out nearly nine more goals than expected. Elsewhere, Dean Henderson’s placing certainly
makes for interesting conversation at Old Trafford, while – although still early – Edouard
Mendy’s start at Chelsea looks slightly less impressive than might have been assumed.
Despite being perceived by many as the best keeper in the league, Alisson hasn’t had as
good a 2020 by this metric as you might think, preventing just 0.91 fewer goals than expected.
Emiliano Martinez and Alphonse Areola have definitely started well at their respective
new clubs, though, with Martinez – intriguingly - faring far better than Arsenal’s No 1 Bernd Leno.
And there are some notable absentee, too. Jordan Pickford (-3.8 Goals Prevented) and Aaron Ramsdale
(-4.6 Goals Prevented) are nowhere to be seen and that’s less than good news for Gareth Southgate.
6.Most dribbles: Adama Traore This category is arguably the least
contentious, with Adama Traore attempting the most dribbles per 90 in 2020. Traore’s
advantage is significant, too: the gap between him and Allan Saint-Maximin in second is as big
as the one between Saint-Maximin and Christian Pulisic in third.
This list is dominated by tricky wingers and attackers for obvious reasons,
but the one outlier is Fulham’s Andre-Frank Anguissa. Anguissa is the only player stationed
in the centre of the pitch, and has put up higher dribbling numbers than the likes of Sadio Mane,
Moussa Djenepo and Wolves pair Daniel Podence and Pedro Neto.
7.Most aggressive pressers: Leeds United
As expected, following their promotion from the Championship,
Leeds were the most aggressive pressing team in the division.
It was never in doubt that Marcelo Bielsa would continue to instil his aggressive man-marking
style in Leeds’s first season back at the top table in 16 years. The club doubled down by
handsomely backing their manager in the transfer market, signing the electric duo of Rodrigo and
Raphinha. Both signings raised the ceiling on Leeds’ physical intensity in midfield,
but the more telling move was the choice to not go after another striker,
sticking with Patrick Bamford up front instead.
Leeds’ PPDA — or opposition passes allowed per defensive action — is the lowest in the league,
ahead of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s aggressive Southampton side and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
At the other end of the table are the more passive teams out of possession,
bookended by a Newcastle side under Steve Bruce who are the least intense
team without the ball that the Premier League has seen in the past five seasons.