Description
Elling Holland has the highest expected goals (xG) of any player who has not scored a goal in a single league game this season.
"It was an evening to forget for Holland," Sports Bible reported on Aug. 18 (ET), citing data from soccer statistics outlet Opta, "as he broke the unwanted xG record."
Manchester City drew 1-1 with Chelsea in the 25th round of the 2023/24 English Premier League (PL) season at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, on Aug. 18.
It was a nightmare for City striker Holland, who started the game. In the 12th minute, Holland headed a Julian Alvarez cross over the bar. In the 45th minute, he tried to finish off a ball that was mishandled by the opposing defense, but his header was off target.
The second half was more of the same. Six minutes into the second half, Phil Forden sent a perfect cross to Holland, but his shot went into the side netting. In the 16th minute, he collected a second ball in front of the goal but his shot was blocked by a defender.
In the 19th minute of the second half, he had a direct shot on goal off a pass from Jeremy Doku, but it was off target. Holland had nine shots in the 90 minutes, all of which were on target.
After the game, football publication 90min gave Holland a rating of 4, saying: "Missed a great chance to open the scoring. He struggled but missed another chance in the second half." The Manchester Evening News said, "He was poor. Missed chances to change the game" and gave him a 4 rating.
Holland had a whopping xG of 1.71 against Chelsea. According to the media, this is the highest xG for a player without a goal in a single game in the PL this 사설토토 season. The previous xG record was 1.61 for Liverpool forward Darwin Nunes against Newcastle.
It doesn't stop there. According to soccer statistics outlet Squawka, only two City players have attempted more than eight shots in a game and failed to score in the last eight seasons. Sergio Aguero, who failed to score against Manchester United in 2017, and Holland, who was held scoreless in this match.
Meanwhile, City manager Pep Guardiola said: "It's good that we had nine shots. Next time he will score," said Guardiola, who added: "I was a footballer for 11 years and I scored 11 goals. One goal a season. I'm not the right person to advise strikers," he said, avoiding a direct assessment.
Guardiola added: "We create chances. Holland will score in the next game. I don't blame him. That's football, that's human," he said.
As former PL player Daniel Sturridge said, "Holland, who was expected to score, will go home feeling self-conscious for missing out on a team victory. That's the life of a striker. There are days when nothing goes right," he defended.
"His job is to score goals. He carries that weight on his shoulders. But he knows why he came to City, and we know his talent and what our personal expectations are."