MOT View: The stats that show just how dominant Leeds have been in the Championship
Leeds United ended up winning the Championship at a canter and while it didn’t feel like that in the run-in, stats prove just how dominant Marcelo Bielsa’s men were this season.
We might have had to wait a long time for the table to reflect the stats but the 10-point gap is firmly backed up by some amazing scatter graphs from data expert Ben Mayhew.
All of these graphs were posted on his Twitter account at the end of the season.
The first is “Expected goals created v allowed” and the place you want to be is in the bottom-right which equates to “Better attack, better defence”.
Leeds are about as good as you can get here, with both Brentford and West Brom way back but still ahead of the rest of the pack.
Leeds ended with the best defence in the league and level on goal difference with Brentford despite them holding an eight-goal advantage with just four games to go.
With the best defence in the Championship, it’s no surprise to see them in the top-left quadrant for “Defensive effectiveness”.
Leeds have kept clean sheets in 22 of their games this season, almost half of their fixtures.
Leeds are also ahead in “Attacking effectiveness” despite being criticised for wasting chances in front of goal.
Patrick Bamford ended the season as top scorer with 16 goals and probably should have had a lot more.
Aleksandar Mitrovic ended the season with the golden boot after scoring 26 goals.
The season might have been less squeaky if we’d scored more but the narrative of not scoring enough is just not true.
The final scatter graph shows “Shots taken v faced per match” and once again Leeds are absolutely out on their own, with West Brom and Brentford a long way back.
The Premier League might be a big step up but these stats show that Leeds United are simply too good for the Championship.
Man United, Liverpool, Man City… We’re coming for you.
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