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Russian champions Zenit’s defenders could be forgiven a sense of trepidation when they step out at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening, asChelsea begin the defence of their European crown.
Because as if Chelsea were not formidable enough, they now have an extra cutting edge in attack thanks to the presence of Romelu Lukaku. As a sneak preview of the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League technical report highlights, Timo Werner’s speed and excellent movement were important in Chelsea’s transitional play last term – and brought him four goals and two assists in the Champions League. But Lukaku managed the same number of goals for Inter from the group stage alone and the report’s xG data offers a hint as to what he might bring. Where Chelsea’s 23 goals in the Champions League were less than their xG total of 26.6, for Lukaku it was the other way around: his four goals exceeded an xG sum of 3.3. It doesn’t take a maths whizz to work out that this augurs well for Thomas Tuchel’s men.
Zenit’s defence will also have to beware the speed merchant in Chelsea’s ranks. And we don’t mean Werner: it may surprise some to learn that the holders’ quickest player is actually Mason Mount. According to UEFA’s technical report, Mount ranked second only to Porto full-back Zaidu, having attained a speed of 34.4km/min the semi-final against Real Madrid.
The UEFA report – which is published soon – offers some other intriguing statistics alongside analysis of last season’s action. For example, did you know that – among the dozen or so leading forwards – Olivier Giroud posted the best ratio for goals-per-minutes played? The French veteran, who has since departed Chelsea for AC Milan, scored one goal for every 42.7 minutes on the pitch, helped by a shot conversion rate of 60%. As a point of comparison, ten-goal top scorer Erling Haaland’s rate was 38.5%.
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On the subject of forwards, could this season see Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo return towards the top of the scoring charts following their respective moves to Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United? Messi’s five goals in 2020/21 placed him joint-tenth, with Ronaldo another rung lower with four goals. Now both men will be hungry to add to their overall totals – 120 in the case of Messi and 134 for Ronaldo, the competition’s record scorer. Messi is now playing for a Paris side who scored the most goals from set plays (six) and counterattacks (five) last season; as for Ronaldo, his United side exited before the knockout stages but still posted the second-best goal-per-game ratio (2.5), behind Bayern München.
One aspect of team play that UEFA’s report dwells on is pressing. Liverpool fans may be interested to hear that their side’s intensity dropped off sharply last season – down 37.6% on the previous campaign, according to the PPDA metric for opposition passes allowed per defensive action. The UEFA report cites several possible factors, including the loss of key central defenders, which “may have created a degree of hesitancy among players, full-backs included, who would previously have pushed forward, safe in the knowledge that any space left behind could be covered by quick central defenders strong in those one-v-one situations”. Early indications this season are a return to greater intensity with the Reds so far recording a Premier League PPDA average of 10.9.
Staying with pressing, last season’s runners-up, Manchester City, face an opening challenge against a Leipzig side who ranked first for counter-pressures (pressure exerted within five seconds of a turnover) per game in 2020/21. The German side will do well to get the ball back quickly against opponents who last season averaged more possession per match (60%) than any other side save for Barcelona (62%).
Talking of the Catalan side, their first Champions League assignment of the post-Messi era comes against Bayern – the club who inflicted that 8-2 humiliation in the quarter-finals in Lisbon 13 months ago. Stat-seekers should check out who ends up with the lion’s share of the ball, asUEFA’s technical report notes that these were the only two clubs who recorded more possession than the opposition in every single Champions League match they played last season.
So enjoy the football in this opening round of group stage fixtures – and delight in the data too.
Russian champions Zenit’s defenders could be forgiven a sense of trepidation when they step out at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening, asChelsea begin the defence of their European crown.
Because as if Chelsea were not formidable enough, they now have an extra cutting edge in attack thanks to the presence of Romelu Lukaku. As a sneak preview of the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League technical report highlights, Timo Werner’s speed and excellent movement were important in Chelsea’s transitional play last term – and brought him four goals and two assists in the Champions League. But Lukaku managed the same number of goals for Inter from the group stage alone and the report’s xG data offers a hint as to what he might bring. Where Chelsea’s 23 goals in the Champions League were less than their xG total of 26.6, for Lukaku it was the other way around: his four goals exceeded an xG sum of 3.3. It doesn’t take a maths whizz to work out that this augurs well for Thomas Tuchel’s men.
Zenit’s defence will also have to beware the speed merchant in Chelsea’s ranks. And we don’t mean Werner: it may surprise some to learn that the holders’ quickest player is actually Mason Mount. According to UEFA’s technical report, Mount ranked second only to Porto full-back Zaidu, having attained a speed of 34.4km/min the semi-final against Real Madrid.
The UEFA report – which is published soon – offers some other intriguing statistics alongside analysis of last season’s action. For example, did you know that – among the dozen or so leading forwards – Olivier Giroud posted the best ratio for goals-per-minutes played? The French veteran, who has since departed Chelsea for AC Milan, scored one goal for every 42.7 minutes on the pitch, helped by a shot conversion rate of 60%. As a point of comparison, ten-goal top scorer Erling Haaland’s rate was 38.5%.
On the subject of forwards, could this season see Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo return towards the top of the scoring charts following their respective moves to Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United? Messi’s five goals in 2020/21 placed him joint-tenth, with Ronaldo another rung lower with four goals. Now both men will be hungry to add to their overall totals – 120 in the case of Messi and 134 for Ronaldo, the competition’s record scorer. Messi is now playing for a Paris side who scored the most goals from set plays (six) and counterattacks (five) last season; as for Ronaldo, his United side exited before the knockout stages but still posted the second-best goal-per-game ratio (2.5), behind Bayern München.
One aspect of team play that UEFA’s report dwells on is pressing. Liverpool fans may be interested to hear that their side’s intensity dropped off sharply last season – down 37.6% on the previous campaign, according to the PPDA metric for opposition passes allowed per defensive action. The UEFA report cites several possible factors, including the loss of key central defenders, which “may have created a degree of hesitancy among players, full-backs included, who would previously have pushed forward, safe in the knowledge that any space left behind could be covered by quick central defenders strong in those one-v-one situations”. Early indications this season are a return to greater intensity with the Reds so far recording a Premier League PPDA average of 10.9.
Staying with pressing, last season’s runners-up, Manchester City, face an opening challenge against a Leipzig side who ranked first for counter-pressures (pressure exerted within five seconds of a turnover) per game in 2020/21. The German side will do well to get the ball back quickly against opponents who last season averaged more possession per match (60%) than any other side save for Barcelona (62%).
Talking of the Catalan side, their first Champions League assignment of the post-Messi era comes against Bayern – the club who inflicted that 8-2 humiliation in the quarter-finals in Lisbon 13 months ago. Stat-seekers should check out who ends up with the lion’s share of the ball, asUEFA’s technical report notes that these were the only two clubs who recorded more possession than the opposition in every single Champions League match they played last season.
So enjoy the football in this opening round of group stage fixtures – and delight in the data too.
Russian champions Zenit’s defenders could be forgiven a sense of trepidation when they step out at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening, asChelsea begin the defence of their European crown.
Because as if Chelsea were not formidable enough, they now have an extra cutting edge in attack thanks to the presence of Romelu Lukaku. As a sneak preview of the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League technical report highlights, Timo Werner’s speed and excellent movement were important in Chelsea’s transitional play last term – and brought him four goals and two assists in the Champions League. But Lukaku managed the same number of goals for Inter from the group stage alone and the report’s xG data offers a hint as to what he might bring. Where Chelsea’s 23 goals in the Champions League were less than their xG total of 26.6, for Lukaku it was the other way around: his four goals exceeded an xG sum of 3.3. It doesn’t take a maths whizz to work out that this augurs well for Thomas Tuchel’s men.
Zenit’s defence will also have to beware the speed merchant in Chelsea’s ranks. And we don’t mean Werner: it may surprise some to learn that the holders’ quickest player is actually Mason Mount. According to UEFA’s technical report, Mount ranked second only to Porto full-back Zaidu, having attained a speed of 34.4km/min the semi-final against Real Madrid.
The UEFA report – which is published soon – offers some other intriguing statistics alongside analysis of last season’s action. For example, did you know that – among the dozen or so leading forwards – Olivier Giroud posted the best ratio for goals-per-minutes played? The French veteran, who has since departed Chelsea for AC Milan, scored one goal for every 42.7 minutes on the pitch, helped by a shot conversion rate of 60%. As a point of comparison, ten-goal top scorer Erling Haaland’s rate was 38.5%.
On the subject of forwards, could this season see Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo return towards the top of the scoring charts following their respective moves to Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United? Messi’s five goals in 2020/21 placed him joint-tenth, with Ronaldo another rung lower with four goals. Now both men will be hungry to add to their overall totals – 120 in the case of Messi and 134 for Ronaldo, the competition’s record scorer. Messi is now playing for a Paris side who scored the most goals from set plays (six) and counterattacks (five) last season; as for Ronaldo, his United side exited before the knockout stages but still posted the second-best goal-per-game ratio (2.5), behind Bayern München.
One aspect of team play that UEFA’s report dwells on is pressing. Liverpool fans may be interested to hear that their side’s intensity dropped off sharply last season – down 37.6% on the previous campaign, according to the PPDA metric for opposition passes allowed per defensive action. The UEFA report cites several possible factors, including the loss of key central defenders, which “may have created a degree of hesitancy among players, full-backs included, who would previously have pushed forward, safe in the knowledge that any space left behind could be covered by quick central defenders strong in those one-v-one situations”. Early indications this season are a return to greater intensity with the Reds so far recording a Premier League PPDA average of 10.9.
Staying with pressing, last season’s runners-up, Manchester City, face an opening challenge against a Leipzig side who ranked first for counter-pressures (pressure exerted within five seconds of a turnover) per game in 2020/21. The German side will do well to get the ball back quickly against opponents who last season averaged more possession per match (60%) than any other side save for Barcelona (62%).
Talking of the Catalan side, their first Champions League assignment of the post-Messi era comes against Bayern – the club who inflicted that 8-2 humiliation in the quarter-finals in Lisbon 13 months ago. Stat-seekers should check out who ends up with the lion’s share of the ball, asUEFA’s technical report notes that these were the only two clubs who recorded more possession than the opposition in every single Champions League match they played last season.
So enjoy the football in this opening round of group stage fixtures – and delight in the data too.
Russian champions Zenit’s defenders could be forgiven a sense of trepidation when they step out at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening, asChelsea begin the defence of their European crown.
Because as if Chelsea were not formidable enough, they now have an extra cutting edge in attack thanks to the presence of Romelu Lukaku. As a sneak preview of the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League technical report highlights, Timo Werner’s speed and excellent movement were important in Chelsea’s transitional play last term – and brought him four goals and two assists in the Champions League. But Lukaku managed the same number of goals for Inter from the group stage alone and the report’s xG data offers a hint as to what he might bring. Where Chelsea’s 23 goals in the Champions League were less than their xG total of 26.6, for Lukaku it was the other way around: his four goals exceeded an xG sum of 3.3. It doesn’t take a maths whizz to work out that this augurs well for Thomas Tuchel’s men.
Zenit’s defence will also have to beware the speed merchant in Chelsea’s ranks. And we don’t mean Werner: it may surprise some to learn that the holders’ quickest player is actually Mason Mount. According to UEFA’s technical report, Mount ranked second only to Porto full-back Zaidu, having attained a speed of 34.4km/min the semi-final against Real Madrid.
The UEFA report – which is published soon – offers some other intriguing statistics alongside analysis of last season’s action. For example, did you know that – among the dozen or so leading forwards – Olivier Giroud posted the best ratio for goals-per-minutes played? The French veteran, who has since departed Chelsea for AC Milan, scored one goal for every 42.7 minutes on the pitch, helped by a shot conversion rate of 60%. As a point of comparison, ten-goal top scorer Erling Haaland’s rate was 38.5%.
On the subject of forwards, could this season see Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo return towards the top of the scoring charts following their respective moves to Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United? Messi’s five goals in 2020/21 placed him joint-tenth, with Ronaldo another rung lower with four goals. Now both men will be hungry to add to their overall totals – 120 in the case of Messi and 134 for Ronaldo, the competition’s record scorer. Messi is now playing for a Paris side who scored the most goals from set plays (six) and counterattacks (five) last season; as for Ronaldo, his United side exited before the knockout stages but still posted the second-best goal-per-game ratio (2.5), behind Bayern München.
One aspect of team play that UEFA’s report dwells on is pressing. Liverpool fans may be interested to hear that their side’s intensity dropped off sharply last season – down 37.6% on the previous campaign, according to the PPDA metric for opposition passes allowed per defensive action. The UEFA report cites several possible factors, including the loss of key central defenders, which “may have created a degree of hesitancy among players, full-backs included, who would previously have pushed forward, safe in the knowledge that any space left behind could be covered by quick central defenders strong in those one-v-one situations”. Early indications this season are a return to greater intensity with the Reds so far recording a Premier League PPDA average of 10.9.
Staying with pressing, last season’s runners-up, Manchester City, face an opening challenge against a Leipzig side who ranked first for counter-pressures (pressure exerted within five seconds of a turnover) per game in 2020/21. The German side will do well to get the ball back quickly against opponents who last season averaged more possession per match (60%) than any other side save for Barcelona (62%).
Talking of the Catalan side, their first Champions League assignment of the post-Messi era comes against Bayern – the club who inflicted that 8-2 humiliation in the quarter-finals in Lisbon 13 months ago. Stat-seekers should check out who ends up with the lion’s share of the ball, asUEFA’s technical report notes that these were the only two clubs who recorded more possession than the opposition in every single Champions League match they played last season.
So enjoy the football in this opening round of group stage fixtures – and delight in the data too.
Russian champions Zenit’s defenders could be forgiven a sense of trepidation when they step out at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening, asChelsea begin the defence of their European crown.
Because as if Chelsea were not formidable enough, they now have an extra cutting edge in attack thanks to the presence of Romelu Lukaku. As a sneak preview of the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League technical report highlights, Timo Werner’s speed and excellent movement were important in Chelsea’s transitional play last term – and brought him four goals and two assists in the Champions League. But Lukaku managed the same number of goals for Inter from the group stage alone and the report’s xG data offers a hint as to what he might bring. Where Chelsea’s 23 goals in the Champions League were less than their xG total of 26.6, for Lukaku it was the other way around: his four goals exceeded an xG sum of 3.3. It doesn’t take a maths whizz to work out that this augurs well for Thomas Tuchel’s men.
Zenit’s defence will also have to beware the speed merchant in Chelsea’s ranks. And we don’t mean Werner: it may surprise some to learn that the holders’ quickest player is actually Mason Mount. According to UEFA’s technical report, Mount ranked second only to Porto full-back Zaidu, having attained a speed of 34.4km/min the semi-final against Real Madrid.
The UEFA report – which is published soon – offers some other intriguing statistics alongside analysis of last season’s action. For example, did you know that – among the dozen or so leading forwards – Olivier Giroud posted the best ratio for goals-per-minutes played? The French veteran, who has since departed Chelsea for AC Milan, scored one goal for every 42.7 minutes on the pitch, helped by a shot conversion rate of 60%. As a point of comparison, ten-goal top scorer Erling Haaland’s rate was 38.5%.
On the subject of forwards, could this season see Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo return towards the top of the scoring charts following their respective moves to Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United? Messi’s five goals in 2020/21 placed him joint-tenth, with Ronaldo another rung lower with four goals. Now both men will be hungry to add to their overall totals – 120 in the case of Messi and 134 for Ronaldo, the competition’s record scorer. Messi is now playing for a Paris side who scored the most goals from set plays (six) and counterattacks (five) last season; as for Ronaldo, his United side exited before the knockout stages but still posted the second-best goal-per-game ratio (2.5), behind Bayern München.
One aspect of team play that UEFA’s report dwells on is pressing. Liverpool fans may be interested to hear that their side’s intensity dropped off sharply last season – down 37.6% on the previous campaign, according to the PPDA metric for opposition passes allowed per defensive action. The UEFA report cites several possible factors, including the loss of key central defenders, which “may have created a degree of hesitancy among players, full-backs included, who would previously have pushed forward, safe in the knowledge that any space left behind could be covered by quick central defenders strong in those one-v-one situations”. Early indications this season are a return to greater intensity with the Reds so far recording a Premier League PPDA average of 10.9.
Staying with pressing, last season’s runners-up, Manchester City, face an opening challenge against a Leipzig side who ranked first for counter-pressures (pressure exerted within five seconds of a turnover) per game in 2020/21. The German side will do well to get the ball back quickly against opponents who last season averaged more possession per match (60%) than any other side save for Barcelona (62%).
Talking of the Catalan side, their first Champions League assignment of the post-Messi era comes against Bayern – the club who inflicted that 8-2 humiliation in the quarter-finals in Lisbon 13 months ago. Stat-seekers should check out who ends up with the lion’s share of the ball, asUEFA’s technical report notes that these were the only two clubs who recorded more possession than the opposition in every single Champions League match they played last season.
So enjoy the football in this opening round of group stage fixtures – and delight in the data too.
Russian champions Zenit’s defenders could be forgiven a sense of trepidation when they step out at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening, asChelsea begin the defence of their European crown.
Because as if Chelsea were not formidable enough, they now have an extra cutting edge in attack thanks to the presence of Romelu Lukaku. As a sneak preview of the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League technical report highlights, Timo Werner’s speed and excellent movement were important in Chelsea’s transitional play last term – and brought him four goals and two assists in the Champions League. But Lukaku managed the same number of goals for Inter from the group stage alone and the report’s xG data offers a hint as to what he might bring. Where Chelsea’s 23 goals in the Champions League were less than their xG total of 26.6, for Lukaku it was the other way around: his four goals exceeded an xG sum of 3.3. It doesn’t take a maths whizz to work out that this augurs well for Thomas Tuchel’s men.
Zenit’s defence will also have to beware the speed merchant in Chelsea’s ranks. And we don’t mean Werner: it may surprise some to learn that the holders’ quickest player is actually Mason Mount. According to UEFA’s technical report, Mount ranked second only to Porto full-back Zaidu, having attained a speed of 34.4km/min the semi-final against Real Madrid.
The UEFA report – which is published soon – offers some other intriguing statistics alongside analysis of last season’s action. For example, did you know that – among the dozen or so leading forwards – Olivier Giroud posted the best ratio for goals-per-minutes played? The French veteran, who has since departed Chelsea for AC Milan, scored one goal for every 42.7 minutes on the pitch, helped by a shot conversion rate of 60%. As a point of comparison, ten-goal top scorer Erling Haaland’s rate was 38.5%.
On the subject of forwards, could this season see Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo return towards the top of the scoring charts following their respective moves to Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United? Messi’s five goals in 2020/21 placed him joint-tenth, with Ronaldo another rung lower with four goals. Now both men will be hungry to add to their overall totals – 120 in the case of Messi and 134 for Ronaldo, the competition’s record scorer. Messi is now playing for a Paris side who scored the most goals from set plays (six) and counterattacks (five) last season; as for Ronaldo, his United side exited before the knockout stages but still posted the second-best goal-per-game ratio (2.5), behind Bayern München.
One aspect of team play that UEFA’s report dwells on is pressing. Liverpool fans may be interested to hear that their side’s intensity dropped off sharply last season – down 37.6% on the previous campaign, according to the PPDA metric for opposition passes allowed per defensive action. The UEFA report cites several possible factors, including the loss of key central defenders, which “may have created a degree of hesitancy among players, full-backs included, who would previously have pushed forward, safe in the knowledge that any space left behind could be covered by quick central defenders strong in those one-v-one situations”. Early indications this season are a return to greater intensity with the Reds so far recording a Premier League PPDA average of 10.9.
Staying with pressing, last season’s runners-up, Manchester City, face an opening challenge against a Leipzig side who ranked first for counter-pressures (pressure exerted within five seconds of a turnover) per game in 2020/21. The German side will do well to get the ball back quickly against opponents who last season averaged more possession per match (60%) than any other side save for Barcelona (62%).
Talking of the Catalan side, their first Champions League assignment of the post-Messi era comes against Bayern – the club who inflicted that 8-2 humiliation in the quarter-finals in Lisbon 13 months ago. Stat-seekers should check out who ends up with the lion’s share of the ball, asUEFA’s technical report notes that these were the only two clubs who recorded more possession than the opposition in every single Champions League match they played last season.
So enjoy the football in this opening round of group stage fixtures – and delight in the data too.
