Skip to Main Content
 

Advanced Metrics

Opta Analytics allow you to surface underlying performance and playing styles to drive understanding and tell better stories.

Opta Analytics

Better Understand a Player or Team’s Underlying Performance, Playing Style and Approach Using Opta’s Advanced Metrics

Sports fans demand the use of analytics in sports media to add depth to their experience. Pundits have become statisticians and advanced analytics has become a key aspect of fan engagement.

Our AI-driven advanced metrics are available in a range of formats to suit your requirements. Whether it’s through a our market-leading data feeds, editorial services or customisable widget platforms, start telling more informed, insightful stories which employ deep data analysis.

Expected goals (xG)

What is Expected Goals?

Expected goals (xG) provides fans with an insight into the quality of every chance in a game, and the likelihood of a goal being scored.

After first introducing the metric to audiences a decade ago, xG is now even more sophisticated. Thanks to our Qwinn AI capabilities, the model takes into account up to 35 different contextual factors when determining an xG output.

Adding up a player or team’s expected goals can give us an indication of how many goals a player or team should have scored on average, given the shots they have taken.

Play Expected Goals (xG)
Expected Goals (xG) (04:45)

Expected assists (xA)

What is Expected assists (xA)?

Expected assists (xA) measures the likelihood that a given pass will become a goal assist. It considers several factors including the type of pass, pass end-point and length of pass.

Adding up a player or team’s expected assists gives us an indication of how many assists a player of team should have had based on their build up and attacking play.

Play Expected Assists (xA)
Expected Assists (xA) ()

Sequences and possessions

What are Sequences and Possesions?

Sequences are defined as passages of play which belong to one team and are ended by defensive actions, stoppages in play or a shot.

Possessions are defined as one or more sequences in a row belonging to the same team. A series of passes leading to a shot which is saved and results in a corner kick would comprise one possession since the same team retains control, but for more than one sequence, since the ball has gone out of play. A possession is ended by the opposition gaining control of the ball.

Opta records detailed event data to provide a snapshot of the action at any moment during a match. By combining consecutive events into sequences we’re able to gain more insight into a team’s playing style and an individual player’s contribution.

Play Sequences Model Explainer
Sequences Model Explainer ()

Defensive Coverage

What is Defensive Coverage?

Defensive Coverage measures the area of defensive responsibility implied by a player’s defensive actions during a match. The corresponding output consists of a series of coordinates which define a polygon of the player’s defensive zone, as well as the area (in metres squared) of that zone.

Data and Content for Your Platforms

Get in touch with an expert to understand how you can reach and engage with sports fans before, during and after the game.

See All Our Products Get in Touch