Open Thread: Scouting Reports

fbref is one of the best freesources out there and just got better

The team at fbref, the Sports Reference site which focuses exclusively on the beautiful game, has unveiled their Scouting Reports this week. I previously mentioned that I’ll be linking to the main pages of fbref player profiles, and these reports will be appearing directly on those player pages. As fbref themselves wrote, the advanced data here comes directly from StatsBomb and the report shows the same set of statistics for all outfield players. I agree with their assessment that “keeping the statistics consistent from position to position allows user to become familiar with the scouting report layout” and the data which they’ve selected for the short-form report on the player’s main page include key fantasy numbers like goals, assists, shot, dribbles completed, tackles, interceptions, clearances an aerials won. As I said, they were already one of the best resources for statistically-inclined football fans and this just makes the site a better resource for FPL managers.

Greatly appreciate everyone’s support this season and the excellent feedback. So far there have been 87 posts, or one every three days. The comments section has been excellent and your willingness to share this stack on social media means a lot. Thank you!

If you’re looking for players to test the scouting reports, may I suggest peeping Marcos Alonso to be quickly reminded why Thomas Tuchel is an admirer:

Admittedly, he not much to look at on the purely defensive numbers but his aerials and clearances, when combined with his attacking numbers, make him a top FPL option. Still just 78% selected so take a peek at your free agent pool.

Phil Foden is so damn good. I don’t want to blow up Pep’s spot but as a substack subscriber I’m speaking only to you, Josep, my bescarfed, corded and turtlenecked friend. Look at these numbers and then give him 90 minutes. 100% of his 100% selected ownership will thank you.

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Other freesources which you should be using include the full injury table at Ben Dinnery’s Premier Injuries as well as his projected XIs article for Fantasy Football Hub.

I mention StatsBomb quite a bit and it is because of exceptional, detailed work like this article by Euan Dewar on Aston Villa and their ability to maintain this season’s exceptional form. The full article is worth reading, but this key takeaway is of note for FPL managers contemplating valuation on players who have one or two matches in hand over others in the player pool:

They play the long pass early and often in buildup, and with little prompting. On average they don’t play enough passes before the out ball to attract any sort of opposition pressure, and even when they do they’re unremarkable in terms of the amount of pressure put on them prior to the long pass. 

This has most directly benefitted the two players who’ve also realized outsized FPL gains this season: Ollie Watkins and Calfs Grealish. Sorry, that’s ”Jack” Grealish, apparently. Sounds made up tbh:

The two most common recipients of these out balls are striker Ollie Watkins (naturally) and Jack Grealish. Of these passes received, 50% of Watkins’ are high passes - a fairly low amount amongst strikers in the league - while only 26% of Grealish’ are high, marking him out as a more possession-orientated type of ‘hold-up’ player, receiving the ball to feet as either an outlet to relieve pressure or to turn and progress play. What’s interesting about Watkins’ receptions is that there’s a clear left-sided bias, both in terms of where the initial reception is and where he passes afterwards. Outside of a handful of games, that left side is where Grealish had spent most of his time playing. It’s all part of a serious skew towards getting Grealish on the ball as soon as possible. 

Overthinking Football’s xFpts Rankings are regularly updated. xFpts “uses xG, xA, and xGA totals to estimate the number of fantasy points a player would be expected to score, rather than what they actually score.” Good stuff and just updated today!

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Have a favorite source of data, injury news or tactical analysis you like to use? Share it below or just use the Open Thread to ask questions.