The J1 League 2023 season has started on a mixed note, as none of the teams has been able to show early-season dominance. Only one team is still unbeaten in the league after four matches, while the other teams have had a mixed start to the season. One of the teams that have made a decent start to the current season is Nagoya Grampus. They have the best defensive record in the league, and that has kept them second in the league table. Nagoya Grampus have just conceded one goal in their opening four matches and kept three clean sheets. We now look at some of the stats that show how the team has made such a positive start to the J1 League 2023 season.
Nagoya Grampus started the season with a 1-0 win over Yokohama FC. They then won the next match by the same scoreline against Kyoto Sanga. A visit to Sagan Tosu in the third match handed them a 1-0 loss. Nagoya Grampus made a comeback in the last match against Kashiwa Reysol and scored three past them without conceding one. The above viz shows the percentile rank of the team in comparison to other teams in the J1 League. Nagoya Grampus have a relatively low rank in comparison to their position in the league. They are ranked decently for key passes and xG, and these play a crucial role in scoring goals.
A solid backline
Nagoya Grampus’s defensive record has been the best. They have won a decent amount of duels and made some crucial interceptions to break the momentum of the opponents. The team averages 70.5 defensive duels and 43.5 aerial duels per 90 minutes. Nagoya Grampus have managed to win 63.8% of their defensive duels and 45.4% of their aerial duels. In addition, the team has made 52.75 interceptions per match, with most of them coming in the attacking half. One of the key observations from the above viz is that the players have not given away silly free-kicks in any match.
Despite winning a majority of the duels, the team allows their opposition to take 11.75 shots per match. They have taken 47 shots and 17 have been on target. The goalkeeper has made 16 saves, despite the opposition’s high xG rate. Mitchell Langerak has been solid in between the sticks for Nagoya Grampus.
Breaking on the counters
Nagoya Grampus’s solid defensive displays have allowed them to create counterattacks against their opponents. The team averages three counterattacks per match and takes shots from 50% of these attacks. Their numbers in positional attacks are a bit average at 25.75 positional attacks per match. As seen in the above viz, the attacks are not made from a particular side. The players can find space on both sides and change the momentum of the play.
Overall, the team has taken 47 shots in four matches combined. The players have enjoyed a high accuracy rate of 44.7%. The above xG map shows that Nagoya Grampus players have attempted some long shots and some shots have been attempted from the edge of the six-yard box. They have been a bit accurate from close range but have also managed to hit the target on a few occasions. Their xG rate is decent and their result of three goals is a big positive going into the next rounds.
Nagoya Grampus is not a side known for their solid attacking displays. They make progress down the flanks and often puts in a few passes into the penalty box. They will look to make more progressive passes in the coming games and score more goals.
Betting analysis
As per the 1×2 betting analysis, the odds rate for the team will be affected due to their current form. The rates are likely to lower and the under lines are also expected to thrive in their matches.
Nagoya Grampus has made a successful start to the season. Despite losing a match, they have the best defensive record in the league. The team will look to maintain their shape at the back and concede fewer goals than possible.
Visuals via Wyscout and the TFA data viz engine
