Stats show why Sunderland are a Premier League anomaly and how Regis Le Bris is working wonders
For those who believe that xG holds value in football, now is your sign to look away.
Sunderland had an 80 per cent chance of relegation at the start of the season, and after just 16 games, those fears have already vanished.
Instead, the Black Cats are heading the way of European football, all while breaking the mould set by most promoted teams in recent history.
However, they aren’t doing it by luck, and they certainly aren’t doing it in accordance with the numbers.
Sunderland are the worst Premier League team in one metric
For Sunderland to be the worst at anything this season, you’d assume they would be lingering around ht bottom of the table, barely putting up a fight against the big boys.
At least that is what stats suggest should be happening.
Instead, Sunderland are eighth in the Premier League, having suffered just one defeat against last season’s top seven, with three wins and three draws.
The main reason behind that is the spine of the team, with Granit Xhaka, Dan Ballard and Omar Alderete all shining in the Premier League, leaving their only real concern in the final third.
Sunderland have the worst xG of any team in the top flight this season, with 13.3, which is 0.3 lower than Wolves, who are yet to win a game.
The Black Cats are overperforming their xG by almost six, showcasing how well Regis Le Bris is doing on a game-by-game basis to get his side firing, as well as demonstrating how xG has little to no value in determining whether a team is good or not.
However, while those stats, if you want to look into them, may not look good, their defensive stats certainly do.
The Black Cats are remarkably hard to play against
Sunderland have come up against some world-class forwards this season, and yet they hold one of the best defensive records in the league.
The Black Cats have conceded just 21.3 xG this season, which is a stat bettered by just seven teams, including the visitors from Sunday’s clash at the Stadium of Light.
Once again, Sunderland are overperforming in this aspect, having conceded four fewer than expected when taking into account the quality of chance created.
Le Bris knows how to get the best out of his players, and the Frenchman is demonstrating that football isnt won by the numbers, but instead by the performances on the pitch.
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