🇪🇺EURO POD!🇪🇺 @acjimbo.bsky.social, @julienlaurens.bsky.social, @sebsb.bsky.social, @polballus.bsky.social & @jameshorncastle.bsky.social on… 🇫🇷 PSG's late show 🇩🇪 Bayern finally drop points 🇪🇸 Another three for Lewandowski 🇮🇹 Unhappy Antonio 🇳🇱 Ajax in crisis w/ @jongsma.bsky.social pod.fo/e/3506d0

Really enjoyable story to work on, and great to speak to some of the people involved.

@lowqualityregen.bsky.social And they say the Dutch are quite blunt in their use of language, I have no idea what they are talking about.

Here's the consequences for 🇳🇱 the Netherlands after 5 losses in 5 games. 🔹 From 80% of 6th down to almost 50%. 🔹 Even chances of dropping below Belgium, up from <0.1% to now 1.7%. All that while the Netherlands still have 6/6 teams, while Portugal have lost 1 and Belgium already lost 2!

Five penalty misses? Maybe they should make the goals bigger or move the spot closer?

Everywhere you look, another massive striker is scoring goals and doing freaky things. Ashwin Raman has analysed the reasons for and ramifications of the jumbo-sized centre-forward trend that is taking over football—and what it means for the future, this summer and beyond.

1 - OptaJohan's Data Insights team is looking for editorial talent to join the Dutch team based in Amsterdam (40 hours p/w). Opportunity. eobe.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

After 12 years, today is officially my last day at WhoScored. It's been a journey, and then some! I'm now moving back into the world of freelance content creation and editing. If you wish to work with me, then feel free to reach out.

Alexander Sørloth is short of Alexander Sørmixaloth

With Paul Simonis taking charge of Vfl Wolfsburg, this piece by Kasper Spruijt for @optaanalyst.optajoe.com might be worth checking out, on a once in a lifetime season for Go Ahead Eagles. theanalyst.com/articles/go-...

🇪🇺 EURO POD!🇪🇺 🇮🇹Some title race 🇳🇱Ajax collapse w/ @jongsma.bsky.social 🇫🇷Lacazette's goodbye 🇪🇸Barca on the beers 🇩🇪Dortmund do it! Plus a big game in Bilbao? 🤔 @acjimbo.bsky.social, @julienlaurens.bsky.social, @polballus.bsky.social, @sebsb.bsky.social & @jameshorncastle.bsky.social pod.fo/e/2d7e15

In the top five leagues, in this period, 31.4% of titles have been won by the bald. PL is bald-dominant, followed by Serie A (counting Allegri as bald) Kompany is the sole ‘bald’ BuLi winner, and Zizou the sole LaLiga one Ligue 1 says ‘non’

Every Eredivisie title since 2018-19 has been won by a bald manager, so it only makes sense that Paul Simonis and Erik ten Hag are the frontrunners to replace Francesco Farioli at Ajax. #analytics

𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞'𝐬 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐩𝐬𝐞 On 19 April, Ajax led the Eredivisie by nine points. Just four games later, they trail PSV by a point. It's the biggest collapse any of Europe's biggest leagues has ever witnessed. theanalyst.com/2025/05/ajax...

First place is lava!

🇪🇺 EURO POD!🇪🇺 @acjimbo.bsky.social, @jameshorncastle.bsky.social, @polballus.bsky.social, @sebsb.bsky.social & @julienlaurens.bsky.social all here... 🇪🇸 Clasico chaos 🇮🇹 Napoli drop points 🇩🇪 Hamburg are back 🇫🇷 Monaco & Marseille in the UCL 🇳🇱 Eredivisie madness w/ @jongsma.bsky.social pod.fo/e/2d4a08

Back to back dingers from Robert Deniro and Liev Schreiber in the area of Hollywood tough guys shrugging their shoulders going “yeah why wouldn’t I love my child?”

@zonal-marking.bsky.social So apparently in basketball, going up 20 is a dangerous lead.

@lowqualityregen.bsky.social FROM NON-CERTIFIED AT CAMBUUR TO CHAMPION IN LIVERPOOL

Sounds like it’s a mistake to leave public goods in the hands of billionaires who can decide at any moment they’re bored and don’t want to support them anymore bsky.app/profile/clar...

21 - FC Groningen's Luciano Valente completed 21 passes in the final third tonight, at least 11 more than any other player during Feyenoord v FC Groningen (Jakub Moder and Gijs Smal both 10). Ace.

6 – Yesterday, OptaJohan hosted the sixth edition of the OptaJohan Quiz. From a field of 18 teams, it was NuSport who emerged as winners. Ascension. The quiz, consisting of four question rounds and four photo rounds, is now available for download. Questions: bit.ly/3FHdP3P Answers: bit.ly/42tONx9

We're expanding our team of Data Analysts so if you want to work for Opta and create new visualisations, dive into the data to find insights for clients and chat about sport all day, apply here. We're open to remote workers to get the best candidates. eobe.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

@lowqualityregen.bsky.social In case you are accepting international entries.

🇪🇺EURO POD!🇪🇺 @acjimbo.bsky.social, @julienlaurens.bsky.social, @zonal-marking.bsky.social, @polballus.bsky.social & @sebsb.bsky.social ahead of #UCL week: 🤩PSG v Liverpool, Real v Atleti 🇩🇪Bayern v Leverkusen 🇳🇱@jongsma.bsky.social on PSV & Feyenoord 🇮🇹Napoli 1-1 Inter podfollow.com/totallyfootb...

Jostein Gundersen (181 completed passes, a Europa League record) completed more passes in last night's game against FC Twente than 71 percent of the players in this season's Europa League have in the whole tournament. (data from @optajohan.optajoe.com)

Nog gekker: Sinds Opta de wedstrijden van AZ in detail analyseert (2010-11 in Eredivisie+Europa, Beker iets korter) was er geen enkele uitwedstrijd waarin AZ zoveel schoten loste in een eerste helft.

36 - Aged 36 years and 17 days, PSV’s Ivan Perisic is the oldest player ever to score in consecutive knock out games in the UEFA Champions League. Vintage.

At 17, Lamine Yamal has already become one of the best in the world. For ESPN: I wrote about what makes Yamal special, comparison to other teenage talents of the past, the historical rarity of a U21 talent becoming the best in the world, and more www.espn.com/soccer/story...

Did a little scroll piece on set pieces in the Premier League with @rbenson92.bsky.social theanalyst.com/2025/02/arse...

So four of the five bottom teams for the season are in the top-6 for the calendar year and four of the top-6 teams are in the bottom half for 2025 in the Eredivisie.

So I made this plot back in September. It stated that 10 points would be enough to qualify for Top 24 in 99% of the simulations. Clearly this didn't materialise — Dinamo Zagreb got knocked out with 11 points. Some thoughts 👇

@treykerby.bsky.social After the Post section on Friday, some added info if you care: Malevy Leons at OKC was the first Dutchie with minutes in the league since Dan Gadzuric in 2012, Post his start was the first for a Dutchman in the NBA since Gadzuric in 2011, for the Nets against your Bulls.

@jonathanmacri.bsky.social One you might appreciate!

Last night, Jalen Brunson (5789 pts since becoming a Knick) surpassed Luka Doncic in terms of total points (including play-offs) scored since the start of the 2022-23 season, with only Tatum, SGA, Jokic and Anthony Edwards scoring more over that period. (Via @optastats.optajoe.com)

WHU's pursuit of Brobbey is fascinating. Can't score for his life atm. Fans a bit fed up with that. Ajax could do with a good sale to reinforce other positions. He was homesick when he left Amsterdam previously. But also: underlying numbers are good and I'd say he's looked fine apart from finishing.

2025 - With the Keuken Kampioen Divisie restarting tonight, Opta looks back at the most impressive stats from the first half of the season. Back.

I just want to put it out there that I am still looking/available for any paid remote recruitment work within football (club or consultancy). I've done public analysis for nearly a decade, and have a bit of experience working within the game as well during the early parts of Covid (2020-21)

Knowing that Still D.R.E. was playing as Peter Bosz walked up to the altar at his wedding ceremony is really all I ever needed. (whole piece here) www.ad.nl/voetbal/inti...

Against Willem II, FC Groningen's Luciano Valente became only the fifth player with 3 shots, 3 created chances and 9 times possession won in an Eredivisie game this season, after Joey Veerman, Malik Tillman, Hwang-In Beom and Kodai Sano. Bit of cherry-picking, but also good company.

1 - Here's a starter pack containing all the Opta Accounts you can now enjoy on BlueSky. Collection. go.bsky.app/3S8WF93

3-2 – PSV are the first side ever to win a Champions League game in regular time after trailing with two goals in the 86th minute. Bonkers.

Dutch teams in the Champions League this week in the first 70 minutes: 0-5 Dutch teams in the Champions League this week in the final 20 minutes: 6-0

OptaJohan is active on Bluesky now as well.

New (first) post on the Central Winger substack. With thoughts on Player Similarity, problems with current approaches, and a path forward.

mrktinsights.com/index.php/20... A recent blog you may have missed.

Only 3 games remaining in the Conference League: 🇵🇱 TWO Polish teams in the Top 4, both winning 3/3 games 🔹 Shamrock Rovers killing it — from 71% chance of elimination pre-tournament to 5% now! 🔹 Panathinaikos on only 1 point, but easy schedule ahead so still likely to advance

Things are starting to shape up in the #EuropaLeague! 🔹 Lazio & Ajax advance in all simulations! 🔹 5 teams with >80% of Top 8 — Lazio, Athletic Club, Galatasaray, Ajax and Spurs 🔹 Porto, #1 favourites pre-tournament, now with 76% chance of missing out on Top 8.