The European Championship 2024 in Germany is near, and we are thrilled! Sportmonks released Expected Goals (xG), available as an add-on! Everything is set and ready to explore how all teams and players will perform compared to their xG during big international tournaments like the Euro 2024 this summer!
Okay, xG is not only available for the European Championship. It is available for around 60 leagues in our API. Now that that is out of the way let’s explain what xG is. In our previous blogs, “What is expected goals? Expect the unexpected” and “xG explained” we explained in detail what xG is, how it is calculated, what it is used for and what you can expect from this feature.
In short, we stated the following: In football, xG is a statistical metric that quantifies the quality of goal-scoring chances created or conceded during a match. It measures the probability that a particular goal-scoring opportunity will result in a goal based on various factors such as the location of the shot, the angle, the distance from the goal, the type of pass that led to the chance, and other situational variables.
So, let’s say Mbappé gets a chance with four defenders in front of him and decides to shoot from 30 yards. The chances of scoring are very slim. However, we shouldn’t forget that there is always a small chance that the ball goes in. The quality of a player is not included in the calculations around xG. What is included is a very big database of shots from all kinds of players from the past.
So, as you might already know, we cover all European Championship statistics. We provided all stats for the Euro 2020 via our API and we will also provide all stats for the Euro 2024. But what changed is that the hottest statistic in football history is now included in our API.
Why dare we say it is the hottest statistic? Well, first of all, all our customers were longing for xG. Second, xG changed the complete view of professional players, coaches, scouts, and fans on football. It really did. Think about the Moneyball principle. It changed sports forever, and now people have found a way to calculate if a player or team is performing well in front of the goal.
So, what do you think? A calculation that can actually explain if a specific striker is handling his/her opportunities well is a goldmine for scouts, don’t you think?
Glad that you ask. We explained what you can do with xG data in this blog and how you can use xG data from our API in this blog. Your fans (customers) will love it when you can provide xG. Just find out what they want you to do with xG!
I almost forgot the most important thing here. The advanced xG package gives you live access to xG. So, while the match is happening, you can see the xG of teams and players rising. Will Kane score as many goals as he should? Will Mbappé outscore his xG? Is Foden outperforming everybody else while his xG isn’t as high as the others?
You can do all kinds of analyses based on our xG models; there are endless possibilities!
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