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What I've learned about sport(s) over the last two months

Apr 18, 2025

In addition to the regular Friday newsletter, every two months this year I’ll also be sending subscribers a brief recap of all the work that has recently been published at Plot the Ball — in case there’s anything you’ve missed.

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What I’ve learned over the last two months

⚽️ Newcastle's Alexander Isak is the most complete striker in the Premier League

He has more progressive carries, passes and receptions than both Haaland and Jackson; among this wider cohort, Kai Havertz — a converted midfielder — is the only player to better him in any category.

⚽️ Ousmane Dembélé is playing more in a new role for PSG — and producing more than ever

It’s been easily the most productive year of his pro career to date, too: often stationed between two other wingers, he’s less involved in the team’s ball progression — but is taking around five shots per 90 minutes.

⚽️ Mariona Caldentey is contributing more out of possession in the WSL

In her Liga F career, she recorded 42 touches for every tackle or interception she made; in the WSL so far, that rate has dropped to just 15.

⚽️ Bournemouth teenager Dean Huijsen is a dangerous vertical passer

Huijsen found Yamal behind the Dutch defence with a delightful long ball, and he’s excelled at playing direct passes from the back in the Premier League.

⚽️ Cata Coll’s busier year in goal may be a warning sign for Barça Femení

In Liga F play this season, Barça’s goalie is having to complete many more defensive actions outside her team’s box.

⚽️ Kevin De Bruyne can still create — but doesn’t have much else left

He has created chances at a similar rate in the last four seasons, but can no longer keep up when City don’t have the ball.

🏏 Ellyse Perry is continuing her late-career transformation in this year's WPL

Last year, I called this version of her game ‘Perry 2.0’; really, it’s ‘Perry 3.0’. What changes has she made? Her non-boundary scoring has improved a bit, but she’s truly elevated her power-hitting.

🏏 India’s bias against left-handers doesn’t apply in T20 — and that’s good news for Abhishek Sharma

Jaiswal is an anomaly in the longer format, but Abhishek isn’t in T20Is. Overall, 36% of India’s innings by openers in the format have been played by left-handers — in line with the average share of 39% observed across the top level.

🏏 Despite his test batting slump, Virat Kohli remains peerless at the top of the order in ODIs

Only Kohli, though, has coupled that with scoring efficiency.…His role has subtly changed over time; as India as a team have scored quicker and quicker, Kohli has been content to let others take care of the acceleration.

🏏 Sunrisers Hyderabad’s aggressive strategy reveals a broader truth about batting in the IPL

[I]f they continue at their current pace in 2025, Sunrisers Hyderabad could become the first franchise of this era to score their runs at least 5% faster than average in two consecutive seasons.

🏏 Shafali Verma is the best boundary-hitter in the WPL’s (brief) history

A return of 93 fours and 49 sixes from 523 balls faced makes her effective boundary rate 31.9%.

🏏 Annabel Sutherland has evolved into Australia’s primary all-rounder

In the 26 T20Is she’s played since the start of the 2023-24 season, she’s bowled 80% of the available overs; in her first 19, that figure was 47%.

🏀 JuJu Watkins is ready to dominate March Madness — at both ends of the court

And she uses her size to stop opponents getting the ball near the hoop: she’s averaged close to five combined steals and blocks per 40 minutes in both of her two seasons at USC, all while carrying a heavy scoring load.

🏀 The obvious comparison for young French centre Dominique Malonga isn’t the right one

In next week’s WNBA Draft, one of the top prospects selected is likely to be a mobile French player with a heady combination of both size and skill — and a penchant for highlight-reel plays.

🏀 Unrivaled founder Napheesa Collier is making the league her own

Five players attempt field goals more frequently than Collier does, but she’s 5.1 points clear of the next-best scorer.

🏀 Steph Curry can still make tough shots — but creates fewer easy ones

Between 2014 and 2019, corner threes and lay-ups made up around 27% of his regular-season field-goal attempts.

🏉 New Zealand dominate the women’s rugby sevens circuit by dominating the ruck

Since the start of the 2023-24 SVNS series, they’ve won their matches against other Olympic medallists by an average of 14.8 points; Australia’s margin across the same fixtures is 8.9 points.

🏉 A fit Nathan Cleary should boost the Penrith Panthers’ attack in 2025

Signs in Round 1 were good: with Cleary fit, they scored more points than they averaged in 2024 against one of the league’s best defences.

🏉 At home, the Fijian Drua run other Super Rugby teams off the park

In away fixtures, they carry the ball 10 fewer metres per game than their opponents; at home, they outgain them by 160m on the ground.

🏉 Overseas imports have added firepower to Leinster’s declining attack

So far this year, per Oval, the pair have offloaded successfully out of the tackle on 24.8% of their carries.

🏉 Australia’s leading sevens try-scorer Maddison Levi is built different

At 1.83m, Levi is the tallest of the 27 active players on the women’s circuit with at least 50 career tries.

🏒 Macklin Celebrini — last year’s top NHL draft pick — is already making an impact all over the ice

Like Bedard, it seems like Celebrini is another great puck-mover: he averages 15 entries into the offensive zone with possession — and nine defensive-zone exits — every 60 minutes he plays at five-on-five.

🏒 Connor McDavid excelled in an unusual way at the 4 Nations Face-Off

For Canada, he added about 40% of his estimated value — measured in net goals above average — when his team didn’t have the puck.

🎾 Mirra Andreeva aced her biggest test en route to the Dubai title

The ace rate of 15.2% she recorded in the Dubai quarter-final was the highest of any match in her career to date.

🎾 Carlos Alcaraz should remember that he’s more than a power-hitter

Per Tennis Abstract, he entered the Miami Open with an Elo rating not much higher than the level at which he’s finished the last three calendar years.

⚾️ Electric infielder Elly De La Cruz is the most unusual switch-hitter in baseball

Given the general scarcity of natural left-handers, it’s not surprising that most switch-hitters swing the bat faster right-handed. But De La Cruz — while he throws with his right — is among the few who swing the bat faster left-handed.

⚾️ Roki Sasaki’s splitter might already be the most unique in baseball

There was also surprise at its unpredictable lateral movement and lack of spin; after one outing, expectations for this pitch might already be higher.

⛳️ Min Woo Lee hits the ball miles — but that’s not what’s driving his PGA Tour success

Despite his gaudy raw numbers, Lee’s driving performance in Strokes-Gained terms is actually quite mixed — mainly because he hasn’t been able to consistently keep the ball straight.

⛳️ Ludvig Åberg has quickly developed into one of Europe’s top golfers

[O]nly Rory McIlroy has banked more ‘Data Golf Points’ across the 2024 and 2025 seasons than he has.

🏈 Two-way prospect Travis Hunter isn’t an occasional offensive player

Only nine wide receivers in college football were involved in a higher share of their team’s offensive plays, per CollegeFootballData.com.

The next edition of My Week In Sport(s) will be published on Friday May 2nd.