EFL League One 2023/24: Assessing attacking approaches from England’s third tier – data analysis

We may be amid the first international break of the 2023/24 campaign, but many leagues remain largely unaffected, including EFL League One. Over the course of a season, especially one that is 46 games long, being effective in multiple areas can influence the outcome of said season.

One essential element that fits that description is how good a team are in attack and how dangerous they can be. Sure, a solid defensive foundation will bring you points in vital games, but consistently finding the back of the net can elevate a teams performance to the next level while also giving them a fearful reputation. For a number of reasons, having a solid attacking base is also crucial for those teams who want to be playing Championship football next season.

This data analysis will explore teams data in League One, using various statistics to determine their effectiveness in an attacking capacity. From analysing basic data such as goals scored to more complex statistics, we will shed some light on which teams are creating many chances and who needs to improve.

Goals, Goals, Goals

We will start by looking at the business end of things, as that is essentially the primary focus of this data analysis. Here, not only will we look at factors such as goals scored and xG, but we will dive deeper by looking at how dangerous League One clubs are from set pieces, amongst other metrics!

Starting with the main event of attacking statistics, we compare the number of goals each team has scored against their xG in the season so far. It would be a surprise for Cheltenham fans if this article piqued your interest anyway, considering your current situation – zero goals in six games is worrying.

An xG register of 4.72 may look like the Robins have created a sufficient number of chances on goal to warrant at least a goal, but if you break that number down across the six league games, the average xG per 90 would be easily below one.

Stevenag