Stat, Viz, Quiz is the Opta Analyst soccer e-newsletter. This week’s version contains numbers on nations of the Premier League, objective sequences, and the EFL Championship.
The brand new Premier League season has begun, filled with unpredictability and new potentialities.
Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Manchester Metropolis all received on Matchday 1 of the 2024-25 marketing campaign… OK, so possibly not that unpredictable.
It was nonetheless a enjoyable weekend for the impartial, although, with each sport that includes not less than one objective.
On this week’s SVQ we’ll be trying on the variety of nations represented by Premier League historical past, in addition to displaying off our new objective sequence graphics.
So, now that now we have the nice and cozy glow of membership soccer again in our lives, let’s get going with the primary SVQ of 2024-25.
In case you haven’t carried out so already, you’ll be able to subscribe under and obtain SVQ each Tuesday.
STAT – The Premier League of Nations
A yr is a very long time in soccer.
You don’t have to inform Ali Al-Hamadi that, although. On the opening day of the 2023-24 season, Al-Hamadi got here off the bench in AFC Wimbledon’s 0-0 draw away at Grimsby City in League Two, which included him having a penalty saved at Blundell Park.
On Matchday 1 of 2024-25, Al-Hamadi got here off the bench once more, this time for Ipswich City in opposition to Liverpool within the Premier League. The Tractor Boys misplaced 2-0, but it surely was nonetheless an unimaginable second for the 22-year-old.
Not solely did it see his desires realised, however he additionally made historical past as the primary ever Iraqi-born participant to characteristic in a Premier League sport. Coincidentally, his household moved to town of Liverpool when he was only a yr outdated, bringing every part considerably full circle.
It took the full of nations which have now been represented within the Premier League since its formation in 1992 to 124.
With that stat in thoughts, we needed to see which nations have been represented probably the most during the last 32 years.
In complete, 4,858 gamers have graced a Premier League pitch in that point, and of these, precisely 1,700 have been from England (together with Archie Grey, pictured under, who made his debut for Spurs on Monday), which is unsurprisingly probably the most represented nation by a ways.
There have been 217 gamers from Scotland, 205 from the Republic of Eire, 167 from Spain, 152 from the Netherlands, 133 from Wales, 94 from Portugal, 83 from Italy, 80 from Germany, 71 from Northern Eire and 57 from america.
What about Brazil? All of us love just a little Brazilian aptitude within the Premier League and on Sunday, Savinho turned the 116th Brazilian to make his debut within the competitors when he began for Manchester Metropolis of their 2-0 win at Chelsea. Guido Rodríguez made his first look for West Ham on Saturday and in flip turned the eighty fifth Argentinian to play within the Premier League.
There appeared to be a time when each crew in England’s prime flight had a Belgium worldwide taking part in for them. Properly in complete, solely 68 Belgians have featured within the competitors.
In truth, the second most-represented nation in Premier League historical past is France, with 235 gamers.
Essentially the most-represented African nation is Nigeria, with 57 gamers, whereas there have been 55 from Australia, 15 from Japan, 14 from South Korea and simply seven from China.
In line with the United Nations, there are nearly 200 nations on the earth, so a lot are nonetheless ready to be represented within the Premier League.
We’re curious who the primary participant from Vatican Metropolis can be.
VIZ – What a Sequence
Everybody was fascinated to see how Liverpool would look within the post-Jürgen Klopp period.
Granted, it was just one sport and it was in opposition to promoted Ipswich City, however after a shaky first half at Portman Highway, Liverpool clicked into gear within the second and scored their first two targets underneath Arne Slot.
The primary was a very good one, too, beginning with captain Virgil van Dijk successful the ball and laying it off to Alexis Mac Allister. From there, Liverpool labored the ball throughout to the appropriate, ending with Mohamed Salah passing again to Trent Alexander-Arnold earlier than racing down the appropriate prepared for the Reds’ vice-captain to search out him with a usually probing ball. Salah then laid an help on a plate for Diogo Jota to complete.
That the Slot period started with a 14-pass sequence that led to a objective appeared to be signal.
To not be outdone, although, Brentford equalled that quantity with Bryan Mbeumo’s opener in opposition to Crystal Palace on Sunday.
In truth, eight of Brentford’s 11 gamers touched the ball within the 14-pass sequence that led to Mbeumo’s objective, with solely Kristoffer Ajer, Mathias Jensen and Kevin Schade not concerned.
The transfer started with Ethan Pinnock passing to Christian Nørgaard, earlier than some intricate work on the appropriate led to Nørgaard discovering Wissa, whose go to Mbeumo set the Cameroon worldwide as much as lower inside and fireplace his shot into the far nook.
This all got here simply moments after Crystal Palace have been left deflated when Eberechi Eze’s objective from a direct free-kick was dominated out, the referee blowing for a foul by Will Hughes off the ball.
It could have been a disappointing 1-1 draw for Tottenham at Leicester on Monday, however they did not less than rating the objective with the longest go sequence on MD1 of the brand new Premier League season.
Pedro Porro completed off a pleasant 15-pass transfer that, as you’ll be able to see, largely went by the center of the pitch, with James Maddison crossing for Porro to transform as Spurs lastly made their dominance depend on the King Energy Stadium, even when they finally didn’t see it out as Jamie Vardy equalised within the second half.
We’ll be offering you with these good new objective sequence graphics all through the season. Preserve an eye fixed out for a number of the greatest on our web site, social media, and proper right here in your weekly SVQ.
QUIZ – Premier League Matchday 1
How a lot consideration have been you paying to the opening spherical of Premier League video games? Let’s discover out. Solutions on the backside of the web page.
1. Joshua Zirkzee turned the fourth Dutch participant to attain on his Premier League debut for Manchester United. Who’re the earlier three?
2. Mohamed Salah marked his 350th look for Liverpool with an help and a objective. What number of objective involvements does the Egyptian now have for the membership? Clue: It’s a pleasant spherical quantity.
3. Kai Havertz’s opener for Arsenal in opposition to Wolves was his thirty third Premier League objective. Following on from our nationalities chat, who’s the one German to attain extra within the competitors?
4. James Milner has now performed in 23 completely different Premier League seasons, a brand new file. Who did he overtake on Saturday for the outright most?
5. Manchester Metropolis’s 2-0 win at Chelsea meant they’ve received their opening Premier League sport of the season in 13 of the final 14 seasons. Who’re the one crew to keep away from defeat in opposition to them in that point?
Ask Opta
This week’s query comes from Paul Heighton, who queries: “Because the begin of the Championship, which groups have by no means been promoted or relegated?”
Do you’ve a stats-based soccer query you wish to Ask Opta? In that case, ship it to editors@theanalyst.com and we’ll do our greatest to offer you the reply in a future version of SVQ.
Reply:
The Championship is 20 years outdated, having been rebranded from the First Division in 2004. We not too long ago marked the event with articles on the very best gamers and groups in that point.
As for groups who haven’t been promoted or relegated from England’s second tier in that point, it’s a pleasant quick reply. Zero.
Since that inaugural season in 2004-05, each single crew has both gone up or down.
That mentioned, there are those that hold coming again like a boomerang. In truth, 13 of the 24 groups within the Championship this season have been additionally in it 20 years in the past, however each single considered one of them has spent not less than a yr within the division under or above since.
The 2004-05 marketing campaign noticed Sunderland win the title, with Wigan Athletic additionally clinching computerized promotion to the Premier League, whereas West Ham went up through the play-offs.
To understand simply how way back it was, the underside of the desk makes for fascinating studying.
Rotherham United completed backside, slightly below Nottingham Forest, in fact now within the Premier League. Forest completed under Gillingham (twenty second) and Crewe Alexandra (twenty first), who are actually each in League Two.
One place above Crewe that yr? None aside from Brighton & Hove Albion, who performed Roma within the UEFA Europa League final season.
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Quiz Solutions
1. Ruud van Nistelrooy, Alexander Büttner and Donny van de Beek
2. 300 (212 targets, 88 assists)
3. Ilkay Gündogan (44)
4. Ryan Giggs
5. Tottenham, who beat Metropolis 1-0 in 2021-22
Earlier than you go…
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