Five rounds have been completed in the EFL Championship 2023–24, and to everyone’s surprise, Preston North End are leading the second division heading into the September international break. One of the two undefeated teams in the competition, Preston, have taken advantage of the early-season momentum.
No one would have thought about Preston North End leading the league after five rounds. The team finished 12th in the EFL Championship in 2022–23. Ryan Lowe’s side has played against some of the more experienced teams in the competition and won their last four matches. Here is a look at some of the stats that show why the team is sitting in this position after the completion of five rounds.
Minimum shots and maximum reward
Preston North End started the 2023–24 campaign against Bristol City. This was a tight encounter that ended 1-1. They built momentum after this game and are currently on a four-match winning streak.
The Lilywhites have scored eight goals in the competition, and one came from the penalty spot. Averaging just eight shots per match, the team has attempted 40 shots with an accuracy rate of 30%. Only 12 shots were on target, and eight found the back of the net. This high scoring rate has allowed the team to take the lead and defend their goal to get the results.
One of the interesting facts about their scoring is that the team netted seven goals in the second half.
Defensive resilience
Preston North End have averaged a 42.4% possession rate in the current season. This means that the opposition has more of the ball and creates more chances in the match.
The defence allows the opposing teams to take 11 shots per match. They have only conceded three goals. The above image shows the shots that have been blocked by the players to prevent a goal. A few blocks have been made inside the penalty box, and some came on the edge of the box.
The goalkeeper has made 10 crucial saves to prevent a goal. Preston have only allowed 13 shots to be on target. The save percentage has been high for the EFL Championship leaders, and that has allowed them to stay in the match.
The Creative zones
Ryan Lowe’s team likes to attack from the right flank. The above viz shows the ball progression zones, and this also suggests the same. Preston enjoys a high dribble success rate on the right and makes most of their progressive runs from that particular side.
The team is decent with the ball and has attempted 325 passes per match. The accuracy rate is a bit low at 76.2%. Preston tries to deliver crosses into the opposition penalty box and manages 10 crosses on average per match. The accuracy rate is decent at 42%. Some of the crosses have landed near the six-yard box and often led to scoring opportunities.
The six assists shown in the second viz have been delivered to dangerous areas inside the opposition penalty box. There were some other shot assists that were delivered to dangerous areas. However, the players failed to convert these chances. They will look to be more clinical in the upcoming matches.
It would be a tough task for Preston North End to maintain their lead. The EFL Championship is one of the toughest leagues in the world. Teams play 46 matches, and there is a lot of movement in the table. Lowe’s men will look to take advantage of this early-season momentum and try to get into the top six at the end of the season.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
