3.2 / Services / Data Analysis

Data Analysis: Season & Match Breakdowns

A worked example of the analysis behind the Data Analysis tile, at two levels: season-long league patterns and single-match breakdowns. Built on Opta/StatsPerform event data, styled in the same Meridian house style used across every report.

Season-level: Eredivisie goal kicks

Every goal kick in the Eredivisie since 2022/23, broken down by where it lands, how often it's kept, and which goalkeepers are most reliable under a short buildup.

Bar chart: share of Eredivisie goal kicks by pitch third versus retention rate, showing most goal kicks stay short and short ones are kept — Most goal kicks stay short, and short ones are kept — landing-third share vs. retention rate across 16,378 Eredivisie goal kicks, 2022/23–2025/26.

Pitch scatter plot of every Eredivisie goal-kick landing spot, colored by whether possession was retained or lost — Short goal kicks land safely; long ones are a coin flip — every landing spot plotted, retained vs. lost.

Horizontal bar chart ranking every Eredivisie goalkeeper by goal-kick retention rate — Goal-kick retention varies widely across Eredivisie keepers — every keeper with at least 50 goal kicks, ranked by share reaching a teammate.

Match-level: shot maps, xG/xT flow & passing networks

The same event data broken down for a single match instead of a season — Vojvodina 1–4 Ajax, UECL qualifying, 23 Jul 2026. This is the level of detail a post-match report works from.

Shot map of Vojvodina versus Ajax, every shot sized by xG, stars marking goals — Every shot, sized by xG, stars mark the goals — Vojvodina 1–4 Ajax, 27 shots total.

Cumulative xG flow chart for Vojvodina versus Ajax by minute — Ajax's xG advantage matched the 1–4 scoreline — cumulative xG by minute, with each goal marked.

Cumulative expected threat (xT) flow chart for Vojvodina versus Ajax by minute — Ajax generated more than double Vojvodina's threat through open play — cumulative xT from completed passes and take-ons.

Ajax starting XI pass network, node size showing passes made and line width showing combination frequency — Ajax's starting-XI passing shape — average pass location, node size = passes made, line width = combinations, until the first substitution.

As a service

Commissioned, this becomes a standing report: a post-match breakdown turned around within a day or two of full-time, or a season-long tracking dashboard that updates itself as new matches come in. Scope is set upfront: which patterns matter for your team, which opponent tendencies to watch, so the report answers a real question instead of listing every chart the data could produce. Get in touch to set one up for your next match or season.

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