Fascinating. I love these OPTA analyses. Thanks for sharing.
I found this extract interesting.
Top of the expected points table in League Two are Walsall, with 9.4. It’s generally a good sign if you attempt a lot of shots and don’t allow opponents many. The Saddlers lead both metrics in 2024-25, having attempted 63 shots and allowed opposition sides just 21 at the other end of the pitch – with just four of those on target, too. They’ve outperformed their opponents for shots and xG in every match, but possession isn’t key to Walsall’s strategy. Getting the ball in the final third of the pitch is.
Field tilt measures territorial dominance between teams, looking at the share of possession each team has in their attacking third compared to their opponent. A field tilt of over 50% means you make more passes in the opposition’s final third than the opposition make in your defensive third. Walsall are fourth in the League Two ranking this season, with an average of 63.3%. They may have a successful pass total that’s the sixth-lowest in the competition, but 39% of those passes have been in the final third of the pitch – another league high.
Even when they haven’t got the ball high up the pitch, they look to win it back in those areas frequently. No League Two side have more high turnovers this season than Mat Sadler’s men (32 – level with Barrow), while only Newport County (6) have attempted more shots than they have following high turnovers of possession (5).
From October 2023, when I was trolling according to some.
The signs were always there….