Despite it all, Xavi’s Barca have managed to play football that’s generally effective, if not always attractive. They lead La Liga in not only possession — that part is a given — but also field tilt, which measures how much a team controls the game at the opponent’s end of the pitch, and expected goal (xG) difference, which measures the quality of their chances compared to their opponents’. Their high press is second to Real Sociedad when using the ‘passes per defensive action’ (PPDA) metric and they’ve created more shots from high turnovers than any team in Spain. These are the kinds of numbers over which a coach has some control.
What the manager can’t do much about are problems like Lewandowski suddenly forgetting how to kick the ball in the net or Pena’s inability to keep it out of his own.
Unlike last season, when Barcelona’s xG difference was actually slightly worse than it is now, they’re underperforming their xG at both ends of the pitch. That could be explained by [game state](https://theathletic.com/2730755/2021/07/28/the-athletics-football-analytics-glossary-explaining-xg-ppda-field-tilt-and-how-to-use-them/) or player quality but it’s mostly just bad bounces and worse luck, the kind of statistical noise that tends to even out in the long run — whether or not the coach gets to stick around to see it.
Article Link: [https://theathletic.com/5233783/2024/01/29/xavi-barcelona-manager-next-2/](https://theathletic.com/5233783/2024/01/29/xavi-barcelona-manager-next-2/)
​
by taufique_1929
1 comment
How much was our field tilt vs Bilbao and Villarreal.