'Expected goals have haunted the Everton fanbase'

Briony Bragg, This Fan Girl, external

Expected goals (xG) has haunted the Everton fanbase - at least until last week.

A statistical measure of quality of chances created and conceded, though positive, doesn’t in itself put points on the Premier League table.

Fans grew increasingly frustrated at Sean Dyche’s reliance on it in his press conferences after extremely disappointing losses to Fulham, Wolves and Luton at Goodison Park. Such modern terminology can often seem an excuse when those heap of real chances aren't being put away to gain results.

The beauty of football is no shots are the same. What this metric offers is an assessment of the underlying quality of performances from teams and their players, and assesses shot data to indicate a probability of said shots in play producing a goal.

On the Monday Night Club last week Micah Richards was in stitches at Everton’s xG being above Manchester City. To think one club sits 11 points (and 13 places in the table) to the better of the other, it’s not difficult to see where he was coming from. But what this does show is a positive sign that things are moving in the right direction.

The club highlighted this past weekend Everton registered an xG over 2.0 for the fourth time already this season - having done so just twice across the whole of last season. If it reflects how well the team have been playing, it can only be a good thing in increasing the confidence of a group of players still coming together as a squad (and tinkering in several formations).

It finally all came together against Bournemouth, so let's hope it's a big step towards a more comfortable end to the season this year.

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