epl_teams <- read_csv("http://bcdanl.github.io/data/epl_teams.csv")Data Storytelling Team Project - Soccer
Data
The following lists data frames about English Premier League (EPL):
epl_teams: team statistics for the English Premier League 2017-18 through 2021-22epl_players_2022: Individual player statistics for the English Premier League’s 2021 - 2022 seasonepl_gks_2022: Individual goalkeeper statistics for the English Premier League’s 2021 - 2022 season
EPL Team Statistics 2017-18 through 2021-22 (epl_teams)
epl_teams: team statistics for the English Premier League the English Premier League 2017-18 through 2021-22- A dataset containing team statistics for the English Premier League
- A data frame with 100 observations and 29 variables
squad Team or club name
season Season
num_players Number of players used in the season
age Age of players weighted by minutes played
poss Possession as a percentage of passes attempted
goals Goals scored by team
assists Assists by team
goals_assists Goals scored plus assists by team
non_pen_goals Non-penalty goals scored by team
pen_goals Penalty kick goals scored by team
pen_att Penalty kick attempts by team
yellow_cards Yellow cards earned by team
red_cards Red cards earned by team
xG Expected goals
non_pen_xG Non-penalty kick expected goals
xA Expected assists
non_pen_xGxA Non-penalty kick expected goals and assists
prg_carry Progressive carries
prg_pass Progressive passes
goals_p90 Goals per ninety minutes
assists_p90 Assists per ninety minutes
goals_assists_p90 Goals and assists per ninety minutes
non_pen_goals_p90 Non-penalty kick goals per ninety minutes
non_pen_goals_assists_p90 Non-penalty kick goals and assists per ninety minutes
xG_p90 Expected goals per ninety minutes
xA_p90 Expected assists per ninety minutes
xG_xA_p90 Expected goals plus assists per ninety minutes
non_pen_xG_p90 Expected goals minus penalty goals per ninety minutes
non_pen_xG_xA_p90 Expected goals plus assists minus penalty goals per ninety minutes
Source: https://fbref.com/en/comps/9/2021-2022/stats/2021-2022-Premier-League-Stats
EPL Player Statistics 2021-2022 (epl_players_2022)
epl_players_2022: Individual player statistics for the English Premier League’s 2021 - 2022 season- A data frame with 1128 observations on the 52 variables.
epl_players_2022 <- read_csv("http://bcdanl.github.io/data/epl_players_2022.csv")player Player name
nation Player home country
pos Player position
squad Player team
salary_usd Salary in USD ($)
salary_usd Salary in pound (£)
age Age of player
born Birth year of player
mp Matches played
starts Number of matches in which player started the game
min Total minutes played in the season
min_p90 Total minutes played in the season per ninety minutes
goals Goals scored by player
assists Assists by player
goals_assists Goals scored plus assists by player
non_pen_goals Non-penalty goals scored by player
pen_goals Penalty kick goals scored by player
pen_att Penalty kick attempts by player
yellow_cards Yellow cards earned by player
red_cards Red cards earned by player
xG Expected goals
non_pen_xG Non-penalty kick expected goals
xA Expected assists
non_pen_xGxA Non-penalty kick expected goals and assists
prg_carry Progressive carries
prg_pass Progressive passes
prg_reception Progressive passes received
goals_p90 Goals per ninety minutes
assists_p90 Assists per ninety minutes
goals_assists_p90 Goals and assists per ninety minutes
non_pen_goals_p90 Non-penalty kick goals per ninety minutes
non_pen_goals_assists_p90 Non-penalty kick goals and assists per ninety minutes
xG_p90 Expected goals per ninety minutes
xA_p90 Expected assists per ninety minutes
xG_xA_p90 Expected goals plus assists per ninety minutes
non_pen_xG_p90 Expected goals minus penalty goals per ninety minutes
non_pen_xG_xA_p90 Expected goals plus assists minus penalty goals per ninety minutes
Source: https://fbref.com/en/comps/9/2021-2022/stats/2021-2022-Premier-League-Stats
EPL Goalkeeper Statistics 2021-2022 (epl_gks_2022)
epl_gks_2022: Individual goalkeeper statistics for the English Premier League’s 2021 - 2022 season- A data frame with 314 observations and 13 variables:
epl_gk_2022 <- read_csv("http://bcdanl.github.io/data/epl_gks_2022.csv")player Player name
nation Player home country
pos Player position
squad Player team
age Age of player
born Birth year of player
min_p90 Total minutes played in the season per ninety minutes
goals Goals scored against player
pk_allowed Penalty kick goals scored against player
free_kick_goals Free kick goals scored against player
corner_kick_goals Corner kick goals scored against player
own_goals_against Own goals scored against player
post_shot_xG Post-shot expected goals
post_shot_xG_per_shot_on_target Post-shot expected goals per shot on target
post_shot_xG_minus_goals Post-shot expected goals minus goals per shot on target
post_shot_xG_minus_goals_p90 Post-shot expected goals minus goals per shot on target per ninety minutes
launch_completed Passes longer than 40 yards (launch) completed
launch_attempt Passes longer than 40 yards attempted
launch_completion_percent Passes longer than 40 yards (launch) completion percentage
pass_attempt Passes attempted
throw_attempt Throws attempted
pass_launch_percent Percentage of passes launched
avg_pass_len Average pass length
goal_kick_attempt Goal kick attempts
gk_launch_percent Percentage of goals kicks launched
avg_gk_len Average goal kick length
crosses_faced Number of crosses faced
crosses_stopped Number of crosses stopped
stop_percent Cross stop percentage
def_actions_out_pen_area Defensive actions outside the penalty area
def_actions_out_pen_area_p90 Defensive actions outside the penalty area per ninety minutes
avg_dist_def_actions Average distance from goal of defensive actions
Source: https://fbref.com/en/comps/9/2021-2022/keepersadv/2021-2022-Premier-League-Stats
Soccer Metrics
Expected Goals and Assists
Soccer is renowned for its low-scoring nature. During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, 172 goals were scored across 64 matches, averaging 2.68 goals per match—the highest average in World Cup history. Despite this, seven matches ended scoreless. The element of luck significantly influences goal scoring, and occasionally, players inadvertently score own goals. To better quantify scoring opportunities and player performance, the soccer analytics community has introduced expected goals (xG) as a metric to measure the likelihood of a shot resulting in a goal.
Various models calculate xG, but fundamentally, it represents the probability of scoring from a specific spot on the field when a shot is taken. Factors considered in xG calculations include:
- Body Part Used: Whether the shot was taken with the head or foot.
- Type of Play: How the player received the ball (e.g., cross, set piece).
- Goalkeeper Positioning: The location and readiness of the goalkeeper.
- Player Positioning: Positions of teammates and opponents between the shooter and the goal.
- Defensive Pressure: How tightly defenders are marking the shooter.
- Additional Situational Variables: Other measurable factors that may affect shot success.
Since most shots do not result in goals, and many passes to shooters lead to missed opportunities, an analogous metric called expected assists (xA) evaluates the likelihood that a pass will lead to a goal. These metrics are often normalized per 90 minutes—denoted as xG per 90 or xA per 90—to allow fair comparisons between players with varying playing times.
Players consistently achieving high xG values are those who frequently position themselves advantageously on the field. Coaches and scouts use xG and xA metrics to assess whether a player’s performance is influenced by luck over multiple games and to evaluate offensive skills beyond basic statistics.
Soccer Metrics
Offensive Metrics
| Statistic | Definition |
|---|---|
| Goals | Total number of goals scored by the player/team |
| Assists | Total number of assists made by the player/team |
| Goals and Assists | Sum of goals and assists |
| Non-Penalty Goals | Goals scored excluding penalty kicks |
| Penalty Goals | Goals scored from penalty kicks |
| Penalty Attempts | Number of penalty kick attempts |
| Expected Goals (xG) | Expected number of goals based on shot quality and other factors |
| Non-Penalty xG | Expected goals excluding penalty kicks |
| Expected Assists (xA) | Expected number of assists based on pass quality and other factors |
| Non-Penalty xG + xA | Sum of non-penalty expected goals and expected assists |
| Progressive Carries | Times a player significantly moves the ball towards the opponent’s goal |
| Progressive Passes | Forward passes advancing the ball significantly towards the opponent’s goal |
| Goals per 90 Minutes | Average number of goals scored per 90 minutes played |
| Assists per 90 Minutes | Average number of assists per 90 minutes played |
| Goals and Assists per 90 Minutes | Sum of goals and assists per 90 minutes played |
| Non-Penalty Goals per 90 Minutes | Non-penalty goals scored per 90 minutes played |
| Non-Penalty Goals and Assists per 90 | Sum of non-penalty goals and assists per 90 minutes played |
| xG per 90 Minutes | Expected goals per 90 minutes played |
| xA per 90 Minutes | Expected assists per 90 minutes played |
| xG + xA per 90 Minutes | Sum of expected goals and assists per 90 minutes played |
| Non-Penalty xG per 90 Minutes | Non-penalty expected goals per 90 minutes played |
| Non-Penalty xG + xA per 90 Minutes | Sum of non-penalty expected goals and assists per 90 minutes played |
Defensive Metrics
| Statistic | Definition |
|---|---|
| Yellow Cards | Number of yellow cards received |
| Red Cards | Number of red cards received |
| Progressive Passes Received | Passes received that advance the ball significantly towards the opponent’s goal |
Goalkeeping Metrics
| Statistic | Definition |
|---|---|
| Goals Against | Total number of goals conceded |
| Penalty Kicks Allowed | Goals conceded from penalty kicks |
| Free Kick Goals Against | Goals conceded from free kicks |
| Corner Kick Goals Against | Goals conceded from corner kicks |
| Own Goals Against | Goals scored by teammates into their own net |
| Post-Shot xG | Expected goals based on the quality of shots on target faced |
| Post-Shot xG per Shot on Target | Average post-shot expected goals per shot on target faced |
| Post-Shot xG Minus Goals | Difference between post-shot expected goals and actual goals conceded |
| Post-Shot xG Minus Goals per 90 Minutes | Post-shot xG minus goals conceded per 90 minutes |
| Crosses Faced | Number of crosses faced by the goalkeeper |
| Crosses Stopped | Number of crosses successfully stopped by the goalkeeper |
| Cross Stop Percentage | Percentage of crosses stopped (Crosses Stopped ÷ Crosses Faced) |
| Defensive Actions Outside Penalty Area | Actions by the goalkeeper outside the penalty area |
| Defensive Actions Outside PA per 90 | Such actions per 90 minutes |
| Average Distance of Defensive Actions | Average distance from goal of the goalkeeper’s defensive actions |
Team Metrics
| Statistic | Definition |
|---|---|
| Squad | Team or club name |
| Season | Season |
| Number of Players | Number of players used in the season |
| Average Age | Age of players weighted by minutes played |
| Possession Percentage | Percentage of possession based on passes attempted |