Okay so yesterday I was scrolling Twitter and saw folks arguing about whether Arsenal Women or Barcelona Femini was really stronger this season. All talk, no numbers. Got me thinking, let’s actually check some proper stats instead of just shouting opinions, right?
First step? Finding the damn data. Figured the official league websites might have it. Grabbed my laptop, fired up Google like anyone would. Typed “Arsenal Women stats” and “Barcelona Femeni stats.” But surprise, surprise! Some of those league sites are built like old treasure maps – hard to read and missing pieces. Got bounced around between FA Cup stats and league tables. Took me like twenty minutes just to find the basic season averages page for both teams.
The Key Stuff I Wanted
Wanted simple things, nothing fancy-schmancy:
- Goals Scored: Straightforward. Who’s banging them in?
- Chances Created: Who’s actually making things happen?
- Passing Accuracy: Can they keep the ball flowing?
- Defensive Wall (okay, goals conceded): Who’s tougher at the back?
Had scribble down a cheat sheet on a sticky note: Arse. vs. Barca. Easy columns.
Opened a fresh Google Sheet – my trusty rusty hammer for this nail. Created two columns, slapped the team names on top. Started plugging numbers in as I found them. Massive headache moment: Trying to make sure I was comparing the same time frame! Found last season’s Barca stats at first, almost messed the whole thing up. Double-checked the dates. Phew.
Clicking Around and Going Cross-eyed
For Arsenal Women, had to hunt on their FA WSL pages. Found a decent table for goals scored and conceded. Chances created was trickier – ended up finding a graphic deep in a match report that averaged their “Big Chances Created per Game.” Good enough! Copied that number over.
Barcelona Femini stats? Their La Liga F site… honestly felt clunkier. Needed points? Easy. Wanted that passing accuracy? Had to dive into player stats for some weird reason. Found a section for “Team Stats per Match” buried under three menus. Made me think “why can’t this be easier for fans?”
Saw some wild differences! Plugged both sets in:
- Goals Per Game: Arse: around 2.1 Barca: a whopping 3.3! Jaw dropped a bit.
- Chances Created: Arse: 5ish per game Barca: close to 8. Explains the goal gap.
- Passing Accuracy: Barca dominates here too. Like 86% vs Arse’s 78%. Possession queens, huh?
- Goals Leaked: Got tighter. Both super solid! Arse: ~0.7 per game Barca: ~0.5. Nothing much in it.
Sitting back in my chair, staring at the screen. Barca definitely led in attacking power – goals and chances. Passing way crisper. But Arsenal’s defence hung tough. Not as much flash, but still mean at the back. Didn’t feel like one crushed the other across the board. More like… Barca overwhelms you, Arse grinds you down.
Wrapped it up feeling less like a “vs” and more like a “look at how these amazing teams roll.” Stats just tell part of the story, obviously. Style matters, players matter. But man, it felt good to have actual numbers instead of empty shouting. Next time someone argues, I’m pointing them straight to my messy little spreadsheet! Worth the click-fest.
