Moses Simon’s impressive season for Nantes has not gone unnoticed, and he has been put in the same category as the GOAT
According to data from an Opta Analyst on Twitter, Nigeria’s Moses Simon and Argentina’s Lionel Messi are among the most dangerous passers in their respective zones of the pitch in the 2022/23 Ligue 1 season so far.
The analyst, @Odriozolite, uses the metric “Expected Threat (xT)” to judge which players have played the most threatening passes that eventually lead to a shot on goal in France’s top division and found that Moses Simon had amassed the highest xT from the furthest and widest left-wing position, also known as Zone 16.
What is Expected Threat (xT)?
For those who do not know, xT is a measure of the difference between the likelihood of a goal occurring before a player’s action and the likelihood of a goal occurring after a player’s action.
This means that players with high xT are more likely to create dangerous situations for their teams from less threatening scenarios and are often key to how their teams attack.
Messi, as expected, has amassed the most xT of all Ligue 1 players from the areas just outside the D of the 18-yard box, which is known as zone 14.
In a testament to how deep Messi has to go to create chances for his teammates, he has also registered the highest xT from the area around the attacking side of the centre circle as well.
Cameroonian right-sided centre-back Jean-Charles Castelletto has also topped the charts in his position, while Guinean left-back Issiaga Sylla has the most xT in his area of the pitch as well.
Moses Simon Nantes’ King of advanced metrics
Interestingly, in another study by the same analyst at the midway stage of the 2021/22 season, Simon also topped the xT chart for the left wing position which he often occupies.
According to other advanced metrics, the 27-year-old Jos-born forward has also been impressive for Nantes in Ligue 1 this season.
He leads Nantes for expected goals (xG) with 4.19 xG, and expected assists (xA) with 3.05xA. He is also Nantes’ top scorer in Ligue 1 with five goals, and their joint-top provider with two assists.
