Ryan O’Hanlon uses TruMedia’s ProVision research platform and graphics to look at how well Son Heung-Min has been finishing for Tottenham this season:
“If we look at goals above average per shot, then Sancho is atop the list along with, strangely, Inter Milan center back Stefan de Vrij, at 0.08 goals above average per shot. Plotting both stats on the same graphs paints Son in an even better light, too. He’s circled in red.”
Full article: No Grass in the Clouds
Read MoreRyan O’Hanlon uses TruMedia’s ProVision research platform and graphics to analyze the early-season struggles of Roberto Firmino:
“Now, through nine Premier League games, Firmino has scored two goals on shots worth 3.95 xG. Last season, it was just nine goals on 13.95 xG. And the year before that, it was 12 goals on 13.55 xG. Guy can’t shoot! Well, maybe. Take the entirety of his Liverpool career, and Firmino is actually ever-so-slightly ahead of his expected pace: 59 goals on 57.25 xG. Like most players, Firmino is most likely just a roughly average finisher. Even if it didn’t seem like it on Sunday, the odds of him converting a given chance are the same as pretty much anyone else.”
Full article: No Grass in the Clouds
Read MoreRyan O’Hanlon appreciates Messi’s greatness and examines his decline, using ProVision’s graphics and research tool:
“Since 2008, Messi has created 167 assists -- 41 more than second-best. He has completed 331 through balls -- 126 more than second-best. He has beaten 1824 players off the dribble -- 580 more than second-best. He’s completed 9,839 passes into the attacking-third -- 1,477 more than second-best. He’s completed 1,861 passes into the penalty area -- 440 more than second-best. And he’s taken 2,996 touches in the box -- 97 more than second-best. He’s the best scorer, creator, line-breaker, dribbler, facilitator, and outlet -- all at the same time.”
Full article: No Grass in the Clouds
Read MoreRyan O’Hanlon uses TruMedia’s ProVision product and graphics to explore what makes Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish so good this season:
“Even more so than goal-scoring, assisting is only partially controlled by the player who ultimately gets the assist. You can play the pass, but then you need your teammate to place the shot on goal and for the opposing keeper or an opposing defender to fail to stop it. The best creative players create lots of chances that are only occasionally turned into assists, and well, only Salah and Kevin De Bruyne have created more chances than Grealish so far this season. …
Almost all of them are either passes into the penalty area or passes from inside the penalty area. He’s not a quarterback throwing a five-yard screen pass that ends up going for a 70-yard TD. Grealish is putting the ball on a platter for his teammates, which is why he’s, once again, second in the Premier League to only Harry Kane in expected assists, which is the best estimation of the combined quantity and quality of goal-scoring opportunities a player creates.”
Full article: No Grass in the Clouds
Read MoreRyan O’Hanlon uses ProVision’s research tool and graphics to analyze Patrick Bamford’s hot start for Leeds:
“Through six games as of Monday afternoon, Bamford is fourth in the Premier League in shots -- behind Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane, and Aleksandar Mitrovic. He’s fourth in xG -- behind DCL, Sadio Mane, and Kane. And he’s second in xGOT -- behind only Son Heung-min. Only Son, Danny Ings, and Alexandre Lacazette have added more goals with their finishing.
And so, Bamford is getting great chances (high xG), finishing them successfully (higher xGOT), and scoring them impressively (even higher goal total).”
Full article: No Grass in the Clouds
Read MoreHow might Lionel Messi fit at Manchester City? Ryan O’Hanlon ponders that scenario, using TruMedia’s ProVision research tool and graphics to look at Messi’s Barcelona career.
“Beyond the raw trends of production, Messi’s game has changed over the years. He’s still the best finisher there ever was, but perhaps because of his aging legs, he’s settling for worse and worse shots with each passing season.
When he was younger, he was getting a ton of great shots and finishing them at a higher clip than any normal human being ever would. That’s how he scored 50 and 46 goals in consecutive La Liga seasons. Now, he’s edging closer to the shot-type of your average player, just with more shots and a much higher conversion rate.”
Full article: No Grass in the Clouds
Read MoreSoccer writer Ryan O’Hanlon uses TruMedia’s ProVision research tool and graphics to analyze Thiago Alcantara’s effectiveness in the Champions League final…
“While [Thiago] took a backseat to Kimmich for much of the post-pandemic restart, he’s been back in the midfield since the Champions League came back. He created as many chances as anyone (two) on Sunday and completed more passes in the final-third (20) than everyone else on the field. The 29-year-old connected on 75 passes in all, 22 more than the next-most-influential passer. He’s the reason Bayern were able to press PSG, deeper and deeper, rendering them unable to mount any sustained attack or a full-90-minutes of sustained defensive perfection.”
Full article: No Grass in the Clouds
Read MoreSoccer writer Ryan O’Hanlon uses TruMedia’s research platform to analyze his Premier League season predictions, including two ProVision charts that show how much better Liverpool and Manchester City have been than the rest of the league.
“…it seemed logical to predict that Liverpool would finish behind Manchester City, given that their goal- and shot-creation wasn’t quite at Pep Guardiola and Co’s level last season. Well, the latter remained true Liverpool’s goal differential declined by 15 goals, and yet they won two more points, while City’s dropped off by five and their points haul declined by 17.
…
Liverpool have been wildly efficient at turning goals into points, while City have gone the opposite way. I feel pretty confident in saying there are reasons behind this: Liverpool are amazing at set pieces and play both a unique defensive and attacking style, while City’s defense gives up super-high-quality chances that are more likely to turn into goals and they do seem to completely demoralize teams and pour on the goals in already-decided games in a way Liverpool do not.”
Full article: No Grass in the Clouds
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