26 Apr 2026 01:32:13
Ed001, you probably know this stat because I don't, but I don't think I've seen Gakpo win more headers in a single game than today. Just something I noticed and thought I'd share.

{Ed001's Note - this is the problem with stats, most of them are just made up and false. Did he win more headers? I have no idea. Even so, is there context to it? Was he up against players that are particularly weak in the air? Did he have more balls at head height to try and win than normal? And so on and so on. It is just as pointless as xG, which doesn't take into account the position of opponents or what player has the ball at his feet, the two most important things involved in whether it will be scored. Utter trash stat.}

1.) 26 Apr 2026
26 Apr 2026 10:04:10
I have to say he played on our side in the second half and he won everything that was kicked up to him, which, when you're trying to play with Wirtz up top, was desperately needed.

Can't remember which Palace player he was up against, though.

He actually had a decent game yesterday, I thought.

2.) 26 Apr 2026
26 Apr 2026 10:40:22
Navy, he was up against Munoz, who was being rated as one of the best RBs in the league last year. If it wasn't Munoz, then Richards was coming across. A beast of a bloke.

3.) 26 Apr 2026
26 Apr 2026 11:59:08
Ed, xG has got to be the most overrated stat ever. Nowadays, everybody who's supposed to be an expert in football keeps talking about xG this, xG that like it's some kind of holy grail. Even some managers bring up xG just to justify that they were unlucky to lose or draw. When that happens, you know your team is cooked.

{Ed001's Note - I detest it as it is utter nonsense. The position on the pitch a shot is taken from is literally the only thing taken into account, when it is such a small part of it most of the time. There are so many other things, not just the positioning of all other players and who is taking the shot, but also which body part is being used, the speed of the ball etc etc.}

4.) 26 Apr 2026
26 Apr 2026 16:24:05
I don't actually understand xG, I must admit.

5.) 26 Apr 2026
26 Apr 2026 17:27:23
XG is basically a ratio or percentage of high quality chances, so if you have an xG of 1, that should be an indicator that the team should score/scored one goal... Say we lost a game 1-0, but we had a higher xG, the statistician would say, but we had higher xG, so typically we would have won. I hope that makes sense.

6.) 26 Apr 2026
26 Apr 2026 18:02:32
Thanks MoT! Maybe it's me, but how do you have an xG going into a game? Isn't that a thing too?