Expected goals, or xG as it is sometimes better known, is one of the more polarising statistics used in modern football. It splits opinion as some fans swear by its use while others find it largely pointless – and there a lot of people who fall somewhere down the middle.
Put simply, it works out the frequency and quality of shots a team has had in a game by scoring each effort between 0.01 xG and 1 xG. A shot with a lower xG signifies that it was a tougher chance whilst a tap in from a couple of yards out will be given a much higher xG.
As far as Leeds United are concerned, it is a stat that would have haunted them this season if they had been relegated. Only eight teams in the Premier League – the ‘Big Six’ and Brentford – created more xG than them throughout the duration of the campaign (as per Understat ) which, if nothing else, highlights the lack of a prolific number nine.
