UEFA EURO 2020 Group Stage Visual Recap: A Comparison of Top Players Based on Stats. Part 1 of 4 (Round 16 Matchday 1)

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Toni Kroos is MAGNIFICENT, Pedri is amazing, Memphis Depay is awesome

But you already knew that and we won’t talk about them today. Stay tuned!

Basic and Advanced Stat Categories for Our Comparison

We use our beloved fbref.com for stats. If you haven’t already, check out our soccer analytics tutorial for beginners to start working with their data.

CategoryDescription
GoalsGoals
xGExpected Goals
xG totals include penalty kicks, but do not include penalty shootouts (unless otherwise noted).
Provided by StatsBomb.
An underline indicates there is a match that is missing data, but will be updated when available.
ShotsDoes not include penalty kicks
SoTShots on target
Note: Shots on target do not include penalty kicks
SCAShot-Creating Actions
The two offensive actions directly leading to a shot, such as passes, dribbles and drawing fouls. Note: A single player can receive credit for multiple actions and the shot-taker can also receive credit.
GCAGoal-Creating Actions
The two offensive actions directly leading to a goal, such as passes, dribbles and drawing fouls. Note: A single player can receive credit for multiple actions and the shot-taker can also receive credit.
AssistsAssists
xAxG Assisted
xG which follows a pass that assists a shot
Provided by StatsBomb.
Pass.CompPasses Completed
Key.PassPasses that directly lead to a shot (assisted shots)
Pass.Final.3rdCompleted passes that enter the 1/3 of the pitch closest to the goal
Not including set pieces
SuccDrib Dribbles Completed Successfully
CarriesNumber of times the player controlled the ball with their feet
TouchesNumber of times a player touched the ball. Note: Receiving a pass, then dribbling, then sending a pass counts as one touch
Drib.DistTotal distance, in yards, a player moved the ball while controlling it with their feet, in any direction
Pass.TargetNumber of times a player was the target of an attempted pass
BlocksNumber of times blocking the ball by standing in its path
InterceptionsInterceptions
TacklesNumber of players tackled
PressureNumber of times applying pressure to opposing player who is receiving, carrying or releasing the ball

Using the stats above, we created the table below. To read this, count the number of colored blocks above each position. For example, Toni Kroos is 1st in FIVE of the above categories, 3rd in one category, and 5th in another category.

Top players in UEFA Euro 2020 Group Stage

Players that stood out and play on June 26 knockout games: David Alaba, Pierre Høbjerg, Gareth Bale, and Ciro Immobile

David Alaba was important in Austria’s midfield and he leads the tournament in distance dribbled with the ball. He is also tied 4th in Assists and 4th in touches. He ranks 7th overall

Pierre Højbjerg led the Danish team to the top 16 teams in Europe with his great performance. He ranks 10th in our comparison with two 1st place categories, Assists and Shot-Creating Actions.

Gareth Bale was important in taking Wales to the next stage. He ranks 12th in our comparison. He was 3rd in GCA and 4th in xA.

No one made it to the top 15 from Italy, despite Italy’s amazing group stage performance. The reason behind Italian players’ absence from the list is that there were so many players with good performances! All but 1 player in the sqaud have been selected by Mancini to play. Ciro Immobile was the best stats-wise with 5 categories in the top 20.

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