Back to the Newcastle United Newsfeed

Liverpool, Napoli, Bayer Leverkusen among early season movers in Europe's top leagues

Progression to the mean is rarely so stark. After spending most of the 2020-21 season playing like a solid mid-table Premier League team on paper, but rarely translating that quality into points, Brighton has started 2021-22 in fine form. The Seagulls finished 16th in the league last season despite an expected goal (xG) differential that ranked fifth; they turned 1.5 xG per match into only 1.05 goals, and their 1.03 points per close match average -- matches that finish within either zero or one goal -- ranked 17th.

This season, Graham Potter's squad has already taken 10 points -- three wins and a draw -- from four close matches.