James Yorke
soccer analytics with a glint in the eye
work: Hudl, Data
prior: Statsbomb, Director of Football
Head of Analysis, Head of Product (IQ)
Soccer Analytics writing, various inc The Ringer, ESPN, editor Statsbomb
- On Villa's long range scoring vs xG, I calculated every run of 100 long range open play shots (roughly what they've taken) in the PL since 2015-16 and their difference of goals to xG is the highest on record & their goal total is as high as it gets. As ever with shooting, variance has a big hand
- Hawks pairing Trae with AD is the next step for the team #hyped
- I'm been positive than most Tottenham fans recently. There have been positive signs for weeks now, despite half a squad & it's often manifesting in one good half per game. In amongst that Xavi Simons is on the classic "took 6 months to settle" trajectory and is doing a lot of good stuff every game
- ICYMI
- This chart was on BBC website today and obvious Q is "what happened around 2002" and the answer is an absolute classic data collection skew: there wasn't an actual spike in homicides, they just added all Harold Shipman's victims to the recorded list
- PL non-pen xG difference since start of December (so 9-10 games) 👀
- away to a bottom half team beginning with B and scrambling to draw 2-2? Tottenham 🤝 Liverpool... edit: OR NOT
- Possibly only in the last hour has the sentence "Marauding attackers Djed Spence and Wilson Odobert instigate comfortable Champions League win" become viable in the universe
- So easy to get behind Dortmund in wide positions, easier against 10 of course, but been the case all night
- Sure different comps, whatever, but football not helping itself when Dalot the other day isn't a red and Svenssen is. To me the opposite
- Quick take on the "Tottenham have conceded a lot from distance" discussion. Tottenham have conceded 4 goals this season in the PL from what I'd call "wide and long range" - Wilson for Fulham, Hudson-Odoi for Forest, Semenyo for Bournemouth and Ayari for Brighton...
- With the way the squad's set up, Gallagher transfer to Spurs as a current *English* international about to turn 26 doesn't solve everything of course, but it's a damned useful stake in the ground, and not silly money either
- Man Utd had 30 shots? That's super fun.
- I'm extremely pro Mathys Tel, the boy has some magic in his boots (I've not measured this)
- not your day when you go 2-0 up in ye olde six-pointer but lose 2-1
- Stuff on minutes restrictions is interesting. Fairly normal in the NBA, but a typical argument in football where medical departments and managers/coaches clash due to potentially misaligned priorities. Clubs 100% should put power into the medical depts hands on this, and look to enforce
- This is the inside story of Enzo Maresca’s exit from Stamford Bridge: 🔹 Recommendations around player minutes were big part of why he wanted to leave 🔹 Wanted new defender in summer 🔹 Concerns over talks with Manchester City ✍️ @sjohnsonsport.bsky.social and more 🔗 bit.ly/4aHVi51
- I was idly thinking: there must be lots of managers that are ideologically disinterested in set pieces, but at some point they kind of have to motion in the direction of it. So perhaps hire a coach, or task one of your current coaches to devise some stuff. Yet at that point...
- Things nobody said in August: "by 30th December only Arsenal will have lost fewer games than Sunderland"
- Reijnders at Christmas is it, try the veal etc
- bbc sport website L to R, chaos->control->chaos:
- So a weird 9 man defeat against Chelsea was where the wheels started to come loose for Ange. Call me crazy but seeing the life in the team in the last 15 makes me wonder if a weird 9 man defeat against Liverpool could have the opposite effect for Frank #analytics
- Bring Wanyama on
- There were 2-3 moments before the red card that Simons just didn't seem on the right wavelength with himself - and he's had games like that this season - hard not to see the challenge in the same light.
- Wirtz redemption game written all over this, but no I'm not having fun
- Oof can see why it's a red obviously, but don't see intent there, the way his foot snaps back shows he wasn't expecting the contact he made. You can also argue that no idea what he was tryna do since it wasn't a block or to cut off a pass. Anyway :/
- Is there a good explanation for "defender passes goal kick to GK, ball in play so GK pressed and has to clear" vs "GK just takes the goal kick"
- *since then they're unbeaten in 5*
- Despite all the misery this man inflicted on me down the years with his goals, this is by far the deepest cut. Thierry Henry is 10 days older than me and is getting a "Lifetime Achievement" award. #old
- Things I didn't watch this week: -any of day 2 or 3 of the Ashes test -the world cup draw Join me in the world of reading up afterwards :)
- I'm curious what exactly has caused [a subset of] football managers in 2025 to value open play crossing highly. Is it a misread of outcome? ie. successful crosses into close areas can be high value chances - missing that it's hard to complete the cross in the first place. Answers on a postcard.
- Couple of years ago I shortlisted and interviewed Yash for a role we had at Statsbomb around a large consultancy project; unfortunately soon after the project faltered and we had to withdraw the role, but I would have hired Yash - they were an excellent candidate.
- Liverpool's metrics are still in the broadly fine range despite defensive numbers ticking up. Quick comparison of first 12 league games last season vs this is roughly 1.5 xG For (both seasons), 0.8 xG Against last season, this 1.1; goals going in at a high rate too. They'll be back winning soon imo
