Season Review 2019/20

Welcome

Welcome to Stats Perform’s English Football League - League Two season review for the curtailed 2019/20 league season.

Interactive and showcasing a host of detailed performance metrics, this report provides insight into the league’s standout performers, applying innovative frameworks produced by our team of AI scientists.

Within this review, we share a comprehensive breakdown of performance at the key ends of the pitch, as well as sharing detailed insight on team style, both in and out of possession. Detailed player analysis also features, with key metrics ranked across different positions.

Notable additions to our reviews this summer include details on the teams most effective at generating opportunities from high turnovers, together with insights into how each team approached the changes to the goal kick rule. We also apply metrics to highlight the ball carrying players who were effective at generating goalscoring opportunities through running with the ball.

These new features reflect Stats Perform’s ongoing commitment to further explore how performance data can inform a club’s decision-making across performance analysis, recruitment and long-term strategic planning.

We hope you find some interesting insights from this review.

Team

Expected Goals (For)

Overview

Key Points:

• Ranked by league position, this table outlines teams’ performances in front of goal, from both open play and set piece situations.

• The three teams that secured automatic promotion were also responsible for generating the highest xG output from open play. Second placed Crewe Alexandra generated the highest output in the league, amassing 45.5 open play xG from 405 shots.

• Aside from the top three, Crawley Town were the only other team in the competition to generate an xG output of at least 40 from open play shots. The Reds recorded the highest number of open play shots in the league, however they scored seven fewer goals than their projection.

• 42% of Newport County’s xG came from set pieces, the highest ratio in the league. Michael Flynn’s side scored the lowest number of open play goals, but amassed 17.9 xG from set play situations, the second highest in the competition, behind Leyton Orient.

• Although they generated the highest xG from set pieces (18.1), Orient failed to match their output in terms of goals scored, netting on 11 occasions. Colchester and Northampton scored the most set piece goals, scoring 17 apiece.

• Champions Swindon scored the joint highest number of open play goals, however the Robins were less effective at set pieces. Their set piece xG of 7.4 was the lowest in the competition and only Stevenage scored fewer than Swindon’s four set piece goals.

• Colchester and newcomers Salford City were the only teams to overperform on their set piece xG by more than two clear goals. Over half of the teams in League Two underperformed by more than two clear goals.

Expected Goals For

		Set Play : Total	Open Play			Set Play
	Team	xG Ratio	Shots	xG	Goals	SP Shots	SP xG	SP Goals
	Swindon Town	0.14	325	42.1	52	105	7.4	4
	Crewe Alexandra	0.25	405	45.5	52	143	15.6	10
	Plymouth Argyle	0.22	385	44.5	42	128	14.0	12
	Cheltenham Town	0.24	272	35.3	35	109	12.1	12