Analytics 101xG
Expected goals (xG), explained without the hype
xG is the most quoted number in football analytics — and the most misunderstood. Here is what the model actually measures, where it breaks, and how to use it responsibly.
· 6 min read
About the author
David Tello
Founder
Civil Engineer and Software Engineer passionate about data and football
Articles by David Tello
PythonStatsBomb
Build your first football data pipeline with StatsBomb open data
Open data is the fastest way to start. This walkthrough goes from raw JSON events to a shot map in a handful of steps — the same pipeline pattern you will reuse with every public dataset.
· 7 min read
DatasetsPython
Five public football data sources you can use today
You do not need a paid provider to start learning football analytics. These five free sources cover events, results, xG, odds and historical tables — with honest notes on the trade-offs of each.
· 5 min read