Among other functionalities, statistics serve to contrast, reinforce, or deny the sensations that, as analysts, one may have of a specific reality. It is very likely that our perception, especially in a game as peculiar and random as football, may tell us that a certain team does not have a good performance according to certain parameters, but the data disproves it.
In this regard, you might think that many teams have a better or worse performance in the second halves. And in this text, we have set out to find out if the sensations align with the data. Is Barcelona a team that fades in the second 45 minutes? Which team maintains a lower PPDA, and therefore presses more, in the second halves? Which team shoots more on goal and receives more shots in the second halves? Let’s see.
In this table, we have collected four metrics that can offer us a reliable overview: Expected Goals per 90′ in the second halves, Shots on target, Shots on target received, and PPDA. In it, we gather the twenty teams with the most xG in the second halves, accompanied by two other metrics visualized in the following bars.
The team that accumulates the most Expected Goals, the most Shots on Target, and the fewest Shots on Target Received it is, as often happens statistically, Bayern Munich, always offensive and persistent in the Bundesliga. If we analyze more specific cases, it is interesting to note that Brighton is the third team in the top five leagues that accumulates the most Expected Goals (xG) after the break, evidence of the great performance that De Zerbi’s team has been offering.
It is also interesting to know which team presses more in the last 45 minutes. This metric is even more valuable because it can be related to physicality. From the 60th minute onwards is when a footballer’s physicality begins to decline, and although the five substitutions have helped maintain the spectacle, the vast majority of teams reduce their intensity or attention in pressing. Fiorentina, PSG, Real Sociedad, and Lille are the four teams that maintain the lowest PPDA.
Founded in 2017 as a consultancy, Driblab has driven innovation through data in all aspects of professional football. Thanks to a transversal model, its database collects and models statistics in all directions. From converting matches and videos into bespoke data for training academies to developing cutting-edge technology, helping clubs, federations and representative agencies in talent scouting and transfer markets. Driblab’s smart data is used by clubs all over the world, with success stories such as Dinamo Zagreb, Real Betis and Girondins Bordeaux among others. Here you can find out more about how we work and what we offer.
