Opta Analyst
Data-driven storytelling for sport. 📈
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- 🚲 3x bicycle kicks 🏃 Van de Ven's run vs Copenhagen 🎯 Richarlison's long-ranger 🦂 Solanke's scorpion kick For a team that don't score many goals, Spurs have scored a disproportionate number of worldies. Why? theanalyst.com/articles/spu...
- He's eight off equalling the record for most assists in a Premier League season. Can Fernandes manage it? Could he even break it? theanalyst.com/articles/bru...
- Bruno Fernandes has set up 12 goals in his last 14 Premier League appearances. Only two players have ever tallied more PL assists in a 14-game period.
- Florian Wirtz recorded just three goal involvements in his first 21 games for Liverpool, all assists. Since then, he has nine in his last 11 outings (6 goals, 3 assists), more than anyone from the Premier League in all competitions. #LFC
- ⛔️ Four top-class centre-backs 🏆 A six-time PL-winning midfielder 💪 Two big Europeans who could cut it in England Here are seven big names who could be available on a free transfer this summer. theanalyst.com/articles/bes...
- 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐬 For many of the game's biggest clubs, January was a quiet month. Was that in part because some of them were eyeing up one of these seven summer bargains? theanalyst.com/articles/bes...
- Only 2.5% of Premier League games have been won by at least four clear goals this season, the lowest percentage in the competition's history. Arsenal's 4-0 victory at Leeds on Saturday was just the sixth occurrence in 2025-26. There were 33 such wins in the 2023-24 campaign.
- Every #SixNations creates new stars. Using Opta data, we’ve identified one player from each nation whose underlying numbers suggest they could break out in the 2026 Championship. Meet our players to watch 👇 theanalyst.com/articles/players-to-watch-in-the-2026-mens-six-nations
- Arsenal are in the EFL Cup final! It wasn't pretty, but Arsenal stood firm and battled their way into their first final since Mikel Arteta's first season, when he led them to FA Cup glory.
- Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea HT (3-2 agg) A half low on action ends goalless, but Arsenal still hold an aggregate lead. Chelsea won't be entirely unhappy with how that half went, but they'll have to attack more after the break.
- 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐬 The Premier League's January transfer window closed on Monday. Which clubs do you think were the winners and losers? theanalyst.com/articles/jan...
- Liverpool have secured a deal for Rennes centre-back Jérémy Jacquet, though the 20-year-old will not move to the Premier League until the summer. But what will the Reds eventually be getting? @davidsegar.bsky.social looks at his data. 👇 theanalyst.com/articles/jer...
- 𝐉𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 ⏩ 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨 If Casemiro had left Man Utd in 2024, he'd have departed after seeing his reputation smashed to pieces. He stayed and will now leave at the end of this season as something of a cult hero at Old Trafford. theanalyst.com/articles/cas...
- Enzo Fernández is having his most prolific season in front of goal, largely thanks to his now-trademark late runs into the box. 🏃 He is making the most valuable off-ball runs in the Premier League... 🧮...and we've got the numbers to prove it. theanalyst.com/articles/enz...
- Death, taxes and Newcastle failing to win at Anfield. The visitors suggested they might get a result with a promising first-half performance, but Liverpool stormed back for their first Premier League win of the season after conceding the first goal.
- With 10 goals and 10 assists against Newcastle, Mohamed Salah is the first player in Premier League history to record double figures for both goals and assists against a single opponent.
- Liverpool 2-1 Newcastle HT What a first half that was... Newcastle went ahead but their lead lasted under five minutes. Hugo Ekitiké had other ideas.
- Hugo Ekitké didn't like Liverpool going behind to Newcastle...
- For the first time in their Premier League history, Chelsea have won a match after trailing by 2+ goals at half-time. Liam Rosenior becomes only the fourth English manager to win his first three Premier League games (after Bobby Gould, Sam Allardyce and Craig Shakespeare).
- Chelsea 0-2 West Ham HT West Ham might have won their last two games, but nobody expected this, right? Nuno's side lead 2-0 at the break, and fully deserve to.
- In his 223rd appearance, Aaron Wan-Bissaka has 2+ goal involvements in a Premier League game for the first time. Are West Ham on course to make it three consecutive Premier League wins for the first time since December 2023?
- Leeds 0-4 Arsenal FT Questions had been asked of Arsenal before this game, but they answered their critics impressively at Elland Road. A 4-0 win to go seven points clear at the top of the Premier League. You can't ask for more than that.
- Viktor Gyökeres has scored more goals in the Premier League this season than any other Arsenal player. Three of his six goals have been scored against Leeds United.
- Leeds 0-2 Arsenal HT Arsenal haven't had to be at their best in attack, but set-pieces have - not for the first time this season -been the difference for them this afternoon. They have been exceptionally solid at the back, though. Leeds have barely had a sniff.
- Only Leandro Trossard (5) has scored more non-penalty goals in the Premier League this season for Arsenal than Martín Zubimendi (4).
- Declan Rice today becomes the fifth-youngest player to reach 300 Premier League appearances.
- The Premier League isn't 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑒 certain of a fifth #UCL spot next season, but it's getting pretty likely. In 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season by the Opta supercomputer, the Premier League earned a bonus ticket 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞.
- 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐀𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐲𝐦𝐚𝐫 Bournemouth's latest rough diamond is Rayan. A £25m signing from Vasco, he'd already been hailed "the most complete striker in Brazil" at the age of 19. But what specifically alerted Bournemouth to him? ✍️ @rbenson92.bsky.social theanalyst.com/articles/ray...
- Five Premier League teams finished in the top eight in the #UCL league phase. Does the current format give them an unfair advantage because they don't have to face one another? Fixture difficulty appears to have played a big part... theanalyst.com/articles/cha...
- Following the conclusion of the league phase of the UEFA Champions League, we've checked in with the Opta supercomputer for its latest predictions. Good news for Arsenal. Less so for Real Madrid... #UCL Read all about it: theanalyst.com/articles/cha...
- Today is the first time in five years that Real Madrid have fallen out of the top 10 in the Opta Rankings...
- 🧤 A goalkeeper scoring at the death 💯 An almost-perfect night for the Premier League 📈 Who overachieved the most? How do you sum up 18 simultaneous and chaotic fixtures, twists and turns at every corner, and one of the most dramatic endings you could imagine? theanalyst.com/articles/cha...
- Yet another goal for Kylian Mbappé. He now has 12 in the Champions League this season. He is only five behind Cristiano Ronaldo's record for the most goals scored in a #ucl season (17). Check out the top 10 here: theanalyst.com/articles/mos...
- Tammy Abraham has returned to Aston Villa seven seasons after his successful loan spell, but can he be the alternative to Ollie Watkins that Unai Emery needs? @davidsegar.bsky.social looks at the former Chelsea and Roma striker's road back to the Premier League. theanalyst.com/articles/tam...
- UEFA Champions League: Live Table 📈 This table updates live, showing each team’s probability of finishing in the top eight, reaching the knockout play-offs, and being eliminated. It also shows the potential opponents each team could face in the next round. theanalyst.com/articles/cha...
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- 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭, 𝐕𝐢𝐳, 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐳 This week's Opta Analyst newsletter looks at Michael Carrick's unique record against Mikel Arteta, as well as Kylian Mbappé's fantastic return in the Champions League this season. Read it all and subscribe for free here: 👇 theanalyst.com/articles/foo...
- Liverpool have won just five of their last 18 Premier League games, and @23carra.bsky.social believes his former side are "unsuited" to their own domestic league. @davidsegar.bsky.social has looked into where the champions' season has gone wrong to this point. #LFC theanalyst.com/articles/liv...
- 30 of 36 teams still have something to play for heading into the final matchday of the Champions League. So, who will make the top eight? And who will end up in the play-offs? theanalyst.com/articles/cha...
- Spurs are sliding down the Premier League and, like last January, are facing up to the possibility of a relegation battle. They also have the toughest run of four upcoming fixtures of every team in the Premier League. So, are they in trouble? theanalyst.com/articles/cou...
- 𝐌𝐚𝐧 𝐔𝐭𝐝 𝐊𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐱𝐆 𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐔𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐛𝐞𝐮𝐦𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐮𝐧𝐡𝐚 Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha massively outperformed their xG last season. That's not the case this season, but that's fine. theanalyst.com/articles/man...
- 🔑 Lack of open-play creativity 📈 Huge increase in individual errors 🥵Attackers in poor form 🪫 Fatigue? The issues that Arsenal need to be wary of as they bid to end their wait for another Premier League title... ✍️ @alitweedale.bsky.social theanalyst.com/articles/ars...
- 𝐀𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝟐-𝟑 𝐌𝐚𝐧 𝐔𝐭𝐝 Arsenal lose at home for the first time since May, leaving their lead at the summit at just four points. This was also United's first comeback win away to Arsenal since Feb 2005. Re-live a thriller below: theanalyst.com/articles/ars...
- Patrick Dorgu, take a bow. You might not see a better goal than that this season. Manchester United LEAD at the Emirates Stadium.
