So with 8 games played and into the November international break, this is a good time to look to see how Forest and their players have been performing via a look at some key stats (via fbref.com).
To start off with, we are going to look at how the team overall is doing vs the rest of the Premier League teams in some key stats. For goalkeeping, this has been done in the player GK section below.
If we start with simply goals scored and conceded, Forest have scored 8 goals (1 per game) which is 14th=. They have conceded 10 goals which is 8th best (which is also after ManC, Arsenal, ManU and Chelsea away in which these 4 games last season they conceded 16 goals alone). So if the rate of goals can be improved, Forest are in a very good place.
Defensively, Forest have won 58.5% of their tackles, which is 12th. When it comes to tackling dribblers they have a 54.2% success rate which is 4th best. Forest are 12= at blocking, 3rd at interceptions, 3rd at clearances and 5th= at the lowest error rate. They are 7th in winning aerial duels (52.7%) and 16th at recovering the ball.
This feels very solid and backs up the goals conceded rate. If recovering the ball can be improved, Forest will be in an even better place.
In possession, Forest are 14th at the rate of taking on defenders and 13th (44.4%) at being successful in these takeons. For progressive carrying of the ball, Forest are 17th and 17th= at carrying the ball into the opposition box. They are 1st= for the lowest dispossession rate and 6th= for the lowest rate of miscontrolling the ball.
Although Forest have had low possession, protecting the ball is hugely positive. But more can be done with carrying the ball with more threat.
For passing, Forest are 15th at progressive passing. They are 18th for overall pass completion (18th at short, 19th at mid and 14th at long), 17th at the rate of key passes, 15th= for passes into the opposition box and 19th= at getting crosses into the box. They are 14= for the lowest rate for drifting offside.
Overall, passing like last season needs to improve. The uptick in possession in the last couple games will hopefully give a platform to enable better stats for both productive possession and passing.
For shooting, Forest are 19th with the rate of shots on goal and 12th= at getting shots on target (31.0%). They are 7th= in goals per shot ratio (1 in 10) and are 8th for goal scored minus expected goals.
Simply put, Forest just need to get more shots in on goal and the quality of shooting should improve their position. It is the attacking side that needs to catch up with the pretty solid defensive efforts so far this season.
Now we should look at how Forest players compare to each other, but then just take an informal feel from how they sit vs other players in the Premier League. When looking at stats that are not %s (i.e. the number of times something happens per 90 mins), we need to be cautious in these comparisons as defensive teams will have inflated defensive stats and possession and attacking teams will have the same for those respective stats.
Given the different balance of teams in the Premier League, this is why player stats are not always fairly comparable between teams, something I am looking to rectify with a set of analytic products directly based on Opta data. Watch this space!
With the stats vs league comparisons, any player with less than a full 90 mins under their belt is not included as the data needs to be extrapolated up to a full 90 mins, which can wildly distort stats when they only come on for the last 5-10 mins a couple of times when the team is in 'full push' mode either attacking or defensively.
GK
First up is to look at how Turner is doing. There is a lot of noise around if Vlachodimos should be given a chance as the starting GK. This article is not going to debate that, but let's see how Turner is doing.
At a high level, we can look at how well Turner has done vs other teams in terms of save %. Now this does not take into consideration how difficult the shots are to save, but simply how well has Turner been doing when called upon. Turner's save % is 72.7%, which puts him 8th in the league (Spurs' Vicario leads the way with an 82.9% save rate).
If we take into consideration the difficulty of the attempts on goal, we then look at the stat (post-shot expected goals - actual goals allowed ) per 90 mins. Turner is the goalkeeper closest to saving exactly what he is expected to, with a rate of -0.01 per 90 mins. This drops him a little down to 10th in the league per club (West Ham's Areloa leads with +0.44 per 90 mins). Note he is 11th amongst all GK's as Raya has come in at Arsenal and gone ahead of Turner, whereas Ramsdale is a good way behind him.
Something that might surprise a number of fans is Turner's performance when launching the ball out over 40 yards (throws and kicks). He has a completion rate of 44.3%, which does not sound amazing, but it is 5th overall. Only two GKs have a 'positive' % - Brighton's Steele (59.1%) and Chelsea's Sanchez (53.8%). Interestingly, Spurs' Vicario might have the highest shot-stopping %, but he is the worst at launching the ball successfully!
The final GK stat we are going to look at is the 'flappy factor': command in dealing with crosses. This stat is not great as it does not take into consideration how easy it is, or even if trying is a good decision so this stat should be taken with a pinch of salt. Turner stops crosses successfully 7.7% of the time, which is 10th. Arsenal's Raya is the most successfully dominant in the air with a cross-stop rate of 18.2%.
Overall Turner is performing at a better rate vs other goalkeepers compared to the position of Forest in the league. But with the quality of Vlachodimos in the wings to challenge for the #1 spot, things are looking bright in the goalkeeping department.
DC
It has been a very interesting start to the season at centre-back! Filipe has still not featured, Murillo has thundered his way into the starting lineup, Worrall and McKenna have divided opinion, Boly's stock has risen in the eyes of many and Niakhate was back from injury only to get red-carded and banned. 5 DCs have been used across the 8 games so far.
One stat I like is how many shots on target a team allows. This stat does not take into consideration how accurate the opposing forwards are, but the defensive unit has a say in the quality (xG) of those chances allowed on goal, so it does even out to a degree. The Forest defensive line has allowed 33 shots on target so far, which is 7th=. Unsurprisingly ManC and Arsenal lead the way with only 16 (which is head and shoulders better than Palace in 3rd). This tallies with the fact from above that Forest have allowed 10 goals so far, which is 8th best in the league. So the defense gets as much credit as Turner for the low goals conceded count.
When we start looking at the individual DCs, I have included Niakhate's stats here, even though he had a start at LB.
Niakhate leads the way with 2.00 tackles per 90 mins (12th= for defenders in the league), then Boly with 1.76 (24th=), Worrall with 1.06, Murillo with 1.00 and McKenna according to Opta data seems to have 0 (I am pretty sure this is wrong based on the next stat....).
When looking at successfully tackling dribblers, Murillo has a 100% record in his 2 games, Niakhate and McKenna are 66.7%, Boly and Worrall are 50%. This does give a little indication of the mobility of the Forest defenders.
For winning aerial duels, McKenna leads the way with a fantastic 87.0% win rate (5th), Niakhate follows on 80.0%, Boly has 65.7%, then Worrall on 55.0% and Murillo trails on 25.0%.
Moving to blocking, Boly leads the way with 2.06 blocks per 90 mins (18th), Murillo has 1.50, KcKenna has 1.30, Worrall has 1.06 and Niakhate has 0.50.
Boly also leads when it comes to interceptions, with 1.32 per 90 mins (42nd), McKenna has 1.09, Worrall has 0.64 and Niakhate and Murillo have 0.50.
Murillo's speed comes to show in leading recoveries with 6.50 per 90 mins (23rd). Niakhate has 6.00, McKenna had 5.43, Boly has 4.56 and Worrall has 3.19.
The final stat to look at is clearances, where Murillo really comes to the front with 7.00 clearances per 90 mins (4th), but Boly is just behind with 6.32 (8th). McKenna follows closely with 5.87 (11th), then Worrall with 5.11 (17th) and then Niakhate with 1.50.
It gives me no pleasure, but it should be noted that Worrall is the only defender (actually the only Forest player other than Turner) who has been 'credited' with an error (they each have 1).
We can see the value Boly has provided (please see my end-of-season report from the summer where I highlighted his value to the team), and already (although with only 2 games of data) the input of Murillo who should get better and better. It will be very interesting to see how Filipe slots in when fit. It should also be noted that McKenna has really stepped up when needed, especially if his Opta tackling data is incorrect and seems to be currently performing better than Worrall.
Murillo gets a special mention for a whopping 146.5 yards of progressive ball-carrying per each of the 90 mins he has played, which is only bettered by Hudson-Odio and Elanga! He also has more progressive passing yards per 90 mins of ANY Forest outfield player with 338 yards per game. He undoubtedly can bring a valuable attacking element to the side.
F/WB
Like at centre-back, the full/wingback position has seen a number of players used, with Aurier and Aina being supported by Montiel, Tavares, Williams, Toffolo and Niakhate (who has been included in the CBs above).
We can start with the defensive side of the wide defenders, and look at the same stats as with the CDs.
For tackles won, Aina leads the way with 2.05 tackles per 90 mins (11th for Premier League defenders), Tavares is next with 1.85 (22nd), Williams has 1.67 (28th=), then Auier with 1.19 and then Montiel with 1.05. Toffolo, like McKenna, seems to have an Opta data issue as it has him down yet to make a successful tackle (which makes no sense again with the below stat)
To many a fan who still remembers Tavares having a nightmare game in the Arsenal shirt vs Forest last season, it will be a surprise to see him also high up on the other tackling stat regarding tacking opposition dribblers. He has a 100% record so far (again, small sample sizes), Aina is at 72.7%, Montiel is at 66.7%, Aurier is at 42.9%, Toffolo is at 40.0% and Williams is at 33.3%.
When it comes to blocking, Toffolo with 3.08 blocks per 90 mins (3rd) and Williams with 2.50 (9th=) lead the way. Montiel is on 1.05, closely followed by Aurier on 1.02 and Tavares on 0.91, with Aina on 0.45.
Williams leads Forest AND the league defenders with 5.00 interceptions per 90 mins. Toffolo is next a ways back with 1.54 interceptions, then Montiel with 1.05, with Aurier and Aina on 0.68 and Tavares yet to notch up an interception.
Williams also leads with 7.50 recoveries per 90 mins (13th), Aurier has 5.93, Toffolo has 5.38, Aina has 5.00, Tavares has 4.55 and Montiel brings up the rear with 3.68.
Toffolo is again getting stuck into the defensive side with 3.85 clearances per 90 mins (42nd) and close behind is Tavares with 3.64, Aurier with 3.56, Montiel with 3.16 and Aina with 2.95. Williams is a way back on 0.83.
So what do we make of all of that? Well, it seems that no one stakes a claim to be an all-around defensive powerhouse, but Toffolo has taken his chance very well (especially if his Opta tackles data is wrong) and Tavares is not as all-around as bad as perceived. I would say that Aina seems to match Aurier if we are discussing the battle for the RB spot in a defensive capacity, although Aina is the better out-and-out tackler. Williams has shown his strength in mobility stats (and his stats are likely distorted from being deployed in midfield for some of his minutes) and Montiel still finding his feet but is not left behind.
So let's move on to the more attacking stats and see if that sorts out who has the edge in the full/wingback positions.
Montiel comes to life when looking at progressive ball-carrying yards per 90 mins with 133.7 yards (37th in league defenders) and nearly double any other Forest wideback. Aina is next with 73.9 yards, then Aurier with 62.0 yards, then Williams with 55.8 yards closely followed by Toffolo with 55.4 yards and Tavares with 50.9 yards.
Montiel also leads with touches in the attacking 1/3, with 21.1 touches per 90 mins (15th). Tavares follows with 15.5, then Toffolo with 14.6 (note he led last season with 14.9), Aurier with 14.1, Williams with 13.3 and Aina with 9.77.
What is telling is when we look at what is done in the final 1/3. Williams leads Forest AND league defenders in taking on defenders when dribbling with the ball with 5.83 attempts per 90 mins. Aina is next with 2.50 attempts, then Aurier with 1.86, Tavares with 1.82, Toffolo with 0.77 and Montiel in last with no defender takeons with all those visits to the attacking 1/3.
Tavares has the most success with the defender takeons above, with a 50% success rate. Aina is just behind with 45.5%. There is then a large fall off to Aurier with 18.2%, Williams with 14.3% and Toffolo with 0%.
The last stat to look at in the attacking 1/3 is getting crosses into the box. Toffolo leads with 3.08 crosses per 90 mins (21st), Tavares has 2.73, Montiel 2.63, Aurier 2.37, Aina 1.14 and Williams 0.83.
As mentioned with Williams' stats, we do need to recognise that he has been deployed in midfield during his 1.2 games, so some attacking stats are slightly skewed.
But once again, no one stands out consistently, which shows the difficulty (but also depth) Cooper has. If Montiel's productivity once driving into the final 1/3 can be improved (with this defensive side shored up), he looks like he can be a huge offensive weapon against the weaker teams. Like last season, Toffolo is popping up in the final 1/3 (not through dribbling) and getting crosses into the box and is now joined by Tavares with that approach. If Williams can learn to beat players with more success, he could be another strong attacking option.
For me, if Aina can add crossing into his arsenal, he looks like the most balanced full/wingback Forest have at the moment.
MC
Moving to the midfield, this should prove to be interesting as we have the new signings Sangare and Dominguez up against last season's heroes Danilo, Yates and Magala.
Midfielders need to do it all, so we will look at winning the ball, passing, dribbling and chance/goal creation.
Winning the ball
Starting again with winning the ball, it is the two new boys that head the stats. Dominguez leads with 2.41 successful tackles per 90 mins (5th for Premier League midfielders) followed by Sangare with 2.12. Yates has 1.94, Mangala with 0.81 and Danilo with 0.32.
Mangala might not tackle that frequently, but he heads up making his tackles stick with a 75% success rate. Dominguez follows with 62.5%, Yates with 50%, Danilo with 42.9% and Sangare with 37.5%.
Danilo leads interceptions, with 1.94 per 90 mins (7th). Mangala has 1.77, then Yates with 1.67. Sangare has 1.21 and Dominguez 0.69.
Danilo also leads in recoveries, with 6.13 per 90 mins (35th), closely followed by Sangare with 6.06. Dominguez has 5.17, Yates with 5.00 and Mangala with 3.06.
It might surprise some fans, but Danilo also leads with aerial duels won, with 83.3% (1st=) having won 5 of his 6 duels this season. Dominguez and Mangala have won 66.7%, Yates has won 45.5% and Sangare 33.3%.
What is surprising in these more defensive-type stats is that Danilo in his 3.1 games so far is leading outside of tackling. Dominguez is showing why there is hype around him with great stats other than for interceptions. Yates and Mangala have a mix of strength of stats. A surprise again to many fans is how Sangare, from the stats, is not yet hitting the excellence expected of him, especially in successful tackling % and aerial duels given his height and combative nature.
Dribbling
Moving onto using the ball at feet, Dominguez leads with the most progressive yard dribbled per 90 mins with 80.0 yards (30th). Sangare follows with 63.0 yards, then Danilo with 40.6 yards, Yates with 39.2 yards and Mangala with 30.6 yards.
When we look at how many times a player tries to inject pace into the game by successfully dribbling at least 10 yards forward further than any of the last 6 passes (progressive carries), Yates leads with 1.11 progressive carries per 90 mins (44th=), then Dominguez and Danilo close by with 1.03 and 0.97 respectively. Sangare has 0.61 and Mangala has 0.16.
When taking on defenders whilst dribbling, Sangare leads with 2.12 attempts per 90 mins (20th), Danilo has 1.61, Mangala has 1.13, Dominguez has 0.34 and Yates has 0.28.
Danilo has the most success with these attempted takeons, with a 60% success rate. Sangare has 42.9%, Mangala 28.6% but Dominguez and Yates have yet to be successful. Broadly the midfielders attempt to take on defenders more if they are increasingly successful at it, which is logical!
The other side of the coin here is protecting the ball at your feet. Dominguez is the least dispossessed having not yet been! Sangare has been dispossessed 0.61 times per 90 mins, Danilo marginally more at 0.65, Yates at 0.83 and Mangala at 1.13.
When it comes to controlling the ball, Dominguez again leads with 0.69 miscontrols per 90 mins (18th=). The others are all tightly matched behind, with Yates on 0.83, Sangare on 0.91, Danilo on 0.97 and Mangala on 1.13.
What is pretty clear is that Dominguez is the best with the ball at his feet, other than the lack of desire to try to breeze past defenders. Sangare is starting to show his potential, being more proficient in this stat area.
Passing
Dominguez carries on from the dribbling section with the most progressive passing yards: 181.4 yards per 90 mins (32nd). Sangare follows with 120.6 yards, Yates close by with 116.9 yards, Mangala with 106.6 yards and Danilo with 81.9 yards.
When we look at how many times a player tries to inject pace into the game by successfully passing at least 10 yards forward further than any of the last 6 passes (progressive passes), Dominquez is the head and shoulders leader in the whole squad with 7.59 such passes per 90 mins (Montiel is the next best with 4.74) (10th). Sangare follows a ways back with 2.73, then all very close behind are Danilo with 2.26, Yates with 2.22 and Mangala with 2.10.
Mangala leads the whole squad with his pass-completion record of 88.5% (9th), with Dominguez the second-best in the squad with 85.7%. Sangare follows with 81.7%, Yates with 77.0% and Danilo with 74.8%.
Once again Dominguez shows how valuable he is (and Sangare being best of the rest), but of note is how strong Mangala's passing accuracy is (even at over 30 yards, which he leads with Dominguez with 72.7% (12th=)), he just needs to pass more!
Chance / Goal creation
This area is the balance to the defensive section, as each midfielder fits a role (with the box-to-box midfielder looking to be decent at everything), so those not good at defending should be creating.
To give the midfielders the best chance of contributing, we look at the last two actions leading to a shot. Dominguez, who has been used further forward, leads with 2.76 per 90 mins (31st), Mangala follows with 1.45. Sangare has 1.21, Danilo has 0.97 and Yates is last (in the whole squad, including Turner) with 0.28.
None of the midfielders have an assist yet, but Dominguez does have a goal. He also leads with 66.7% of his 3 shots being on target. Danilo has 33.3% accuracy (3 shots). Mangala (6 shots), Sangare (2 shots) and Yates (1 shot) are yet to get a shot on target.
Unsurprisingly Dominguez is once again leading.
Overall Dominguez has shown from the off why Forest were so keen to buy him (well, swap him from Freuler plus cash). Sangare looks to be taking a little longer to settle, but there are signs of his commanding ability. Mangala and Yates have decent all-round stats, matching their box-to-box style, with Mangala having better passing stats and Yates being more progressive with the ball. Danilo is starting to show his value as well, especially in the hard work side of the game.
So Dominguez looks, matching recent fan sentiment, like the first midfielder on the teamsheet. But all other 4 are striving to improve and Cooper is lucky to have these 5 options in midfield which with a midfield 3, gives two good options from the bench.
A mention is needed for Kouyate. Although he has only managed about 60 mins so far, his stats are insanely good. Now again this is the danger with data based on a very low population of minutes (which are extrapolated to fit 90 mins), but he does provide an experienced 6th option from the bench.
AM/W
With Johnson leaving, it was looking like the striker support was going to be all down to Gibbs-White (MGW) until Elanga and Hudson-Odoi (CHO) were brought in.
With the shifts in formation already this season, it is possible 1, 2 or all 3 are deployed in the starting lineup.
Dribbling
If we start with dribbling with the ball, all 3 roughly try and take on defenders as often as each other, with CHO trying 4.8 times each 90 mins (27th= of Premier League AM/Ws), MGW trying 4.25 times and Elanga 4.24 times.
But there is a little more difference when it comes to being successful with those attempts. CHO leads with 66.7%, then Elanga with 57.1% and then MGW 45.2%.
CHO and Elanga are doing far more progressive running with the ball than MGW, as expected down the wings. CHO has 192.8 yards per 90 mins (4th), Elanga has 166.1 yards and MGW has 85.2 yards. The number of progressive carries per 90 mins follows this pattern, with CHO having 7.20 (5th), Elanga has 5.45 and MGW has 2.60.
When it comes to carrying the ball into the opposition box, CHO also leads with 3.20 times per 90 mins (11th), Elanga has 2.42 and MGW has 0.68.
When it comes to protecting the ball, all 3 are very close but CHO also leads this stat with being dispossessed 0.80 times per 90 mins (17th), MGW 0.82 and Elanga 0.91.
Ball control is also key, and CHO has not yet miscontrolled the ball! MGW miscontrols 2.60 times per 90 mins and Elanga 3.03 times.
So CHO is the most effective with carrying the ball at his feet and it seems already finding again his Premier League elite ball-carrying status. But Elanga is not too far behind him.
Johnson was known for his ferocious ball-carrying. He played 2.6 games before he left, and CHO has played 2.5. Now, before a crude comparison, they played in different games (and Forest's so far have been either their easiest or their hardest of the season) with different players. But simply running with the ball, CHO has at least double the attempted takeons, take on success %, progressive distance, progressive carries and carries into the box than Johnson. Early days, but at £3m with roughly £2m of addons, CHO could turn out to be the best value signing (challenged by Aina) this season.
Passing
Given MGW's lagging stats in carrying the ball, we would expect he will shine in the passing category, with many a memory of brilliant outside-of-the-boot through balls.
MGW does lead in progressive passing per 90 mins with 174.9 yards (10th) (note Dominguez is marginally higher), CHO has 107.6 yards and Elanga has 101.2 yards. The number of progressive passes follows the same pattern with MGW having 4.38 per 90 mins (22nd), CHO has 3.20 and Elanga has 3.03. This does indicate when MGW passes forward it is generally longer passing than other AM/Ws at the top end of passing.
Elanga leads the Forest squad with 2.12 passes into the opposition box per 90 mins (18th). CHO follows with 1.20 and MGW has 0.96.
As these players should be further forward than the midfielders, we look at providing the final pass that leads to a shot (a key pass). MGW leads with 2.05 per 90 mins (25th), CHO has 1.60 and Elanga has 1.21.
When we look at these turning into goals, Elanga has the higher rate per 90 mins of providing an assist with an assist every 0.3 games (18th). MGW follows with 0.14 per game. CHO has not provided an assist yet.
So MGW has come to the front in the passing section. But in pure stat terms and compared to the rest of the Premier League, CHO is doing relatively better with his ball-carrying than MGW is doing with his passing. Counterattacking provides both huge runs and huge key passes, so this should be a relatively fair comparison.
Shooting
When it comes to shooting, Elanga gets off the highest number of shots per 90 mins with 3.03 (16th). MGW has 1.92 and CHO has 1.20.
But accuracy of shooting is led by CHO with 66.7%, then Elanga with 60.0% and MGW lagging behind with 14.3% (even worse than the 33% he averaged all of last season)
Both CHO and Elanga have 1 goal so far this season, with MGW yet to get off the mark. CHO's goal/shot ratio is 0.33 (1 goal for every 3 shots) (4th) whereas Elanga's is 0.1. CHO also has a goal every 0.4 games (20th), whereas Elanga has one every 0.3 games.
The Expected goals stat (xG) is very subjective, but CHO leads with +0.36 when we take goals scored minus expected goals per 90 mins (G-xG/90) (6th), Elanga follows with +0.24, but MGW has -0.15.
CHO and Elanga are pretty tightly matched when it comes to shooting, with Elanga shooting more but CHO being more accurate. Like last season, MGW needs to improve in this area to better support the strikers, as his rate of assists is also down on last year (down from 0.24 per game) and his shooting accuracy and converting chances are below where they need to be.
We do need to bear in mind CHO has had 2.5 games, Elanga has had 3.3 games but MGW has played 7.3 of the 8 games so far this season. But with the small sample of games, CHO is already challenging MGW for the most valuable AM/W. They both provide different aspects of the game, but if only 1 is to be used in a 'low-block' counterattacking solution, potentially controversially, CHO would currently get the nod from me as being more effective in a direct manner and being better in on goal.
ST
Awoniyi is the Forest talisman, but with his current groin injury, Wood has had 1.6 games. Origi has only had 0.7 worth of a game, so not really useful as representative data. So we can see how Wood has done standing in for Awoniyi.
We can look at much the same stats as for the AM/Ws but also look back and see how Awoniyi has started this season compared to the whole of last season.
Dribbling
Taking on defenders is key for a striker. Awoniyi tries to take on a defender 1.67 times (22/23 1.4) per 90 mins, whereas Wood does 0.63 times. Awoniyi has success in these attempts 66.7% (22/23 32%) of the time, whereas Wood has not yet had success.
When it comes to progressive running with the ball, Wood travels further per 90 mins with 42.5 yards to Awoniyi's 30.4 yards. Awoniyi carries the ball in the box 0.56 times (22/23 0.6) per 90 mins, whereas Wood has not yet.
Ball control and protection is a key part of the striker's game. Awoniyi has been dispossessed 1.3 times (22/23 1.9) per 90 mins, whereas Wood has been 3.13 times. When it comes to miscontrol, it happens to Wood 2.50 times per 90 mins and 4.07 times to Awoniyi (22/23 4.4).
None of these stats above (other than the success in beating defenders) is worth mentioning vs other Premier League strikers as they are nowhere near the top end. So far, Awoniyi has not had his long runs with the ball for goals, as this is being done more by CHO and Elanga. So there should not be a massive concern, especially as the numbers are better than last year.
Passing
It is not just about scoring goals. The strikers have a role to support the players around them as well. Wood has produced a key pass 2.5 times per 90 mins (1st in Premier League strikers), more than any other Forest player. Awoniyi does 1.67 times (22/23 0.6) per game (4th).
Awoniyi has provided 2 assists so far, which is at a rate of 0.37 (22/23 0.06) per 90 mins (5th), with Wood yet to assist, but to be fair to him he has not played 3 games yet (Awoniyi's rate is 1 per 3 games).
Shooting
So onto the main event with strikers! Let's start with the rate of shots. Awoniyi gets in 1.67 shots (22/23 2.2) per 90 mins (29th), Wood gets 1.25. Of these, Wood gets 50% of his on target, whereas Awoniyi gets 33% (22/23 43%). The rate of shots needs to improve as this is the equivalent of every first-choice and half of the second-choice strikers having more shots per 90 mins than Awoniyi (and even worse for Wood).
What is outstanding so far this season is that both Awoniyi and Wood have scored 100% of their shots that they get on target!
It was Awoniyi's league-leading goals per shot ratio amongst leading strikers last season (22/23 0.29) and this season is at around the same rate at 0.33 goals per shot. Wood's rate though (as it was last season..!) is better than Awoniyi's and so far this season is at 0.5. They are both ahead of any other Premier League striker. Clinical strikers!
If we look at the rate of goals per 90 mins, Awoniyi was fantastic last season with 0.64 goals per game! This season he is not far off of it at 0.56, but Wood just pips him at 0.63 goals per game (9th). Although and handful of other strikers are running hot, Forest have two that are (Newcastle have Wilson and Isak topping the charts, but other than them!). If they can maintain this clinical rate, it should return 22-25 goals from the striker position.
If we use the subjective expected goals stat again and look at goals scored minus expected goals per 90 mins, Wood has the best rate in the squad at +0.44 goals (2nd), whereas Awoniyi is still positive but at +0.13 (22/23 0.22).
Looking at Awoniyi's stats in dribbling and passing, he has improved in nearly every stat above which shows the hard work he has put in. But Wood is up there with him in these areas other than taking on defenders.
When it comes to shooting, Wood has a far smaller sample of game time, but he has been just as good as Awoniyi per 90 mins so far, if not better in this very small sample. Awoniyi is only a little down on the prior year in many of these stats and I would bet on him coming back from injury with a fire in his belly for more goals. But Wood, who has come back from the summer much leaner, looks very up for being a reliable and valuable #2. Forest also have Origi wanting game time.
The key is getting these strikers more shots on goal, as they have shown how lethal they can be given a shooting chance.
Conclusion
So looking for stand-out players, really only Dominquez in midfield and CHO as a ball-carrier attacking midfielder have the stats to back up being clearly ahead of their peers.
MGW needs to raise his game outside of just his passing, Wood is hanging onto Awoniyi but can he sustain it consistently during this period of Awoniyi injury? Will Sangare bed in to build a gap over the other 3 midfielders? Who will get the #1 GK jersey through the winter months? Who is the first choice at both wide-back positions, but is Aina one of those either on the left or the right? With Filipe hopefully coming back from injury, who will start in defence?
This shows that competition for every place is fierce, which should only raise the bar across the whole squad.
Come to the winter break and I'll provide an update on these stats and see how the squad together and individually is progressing.
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