McGregor: The Marathon Man
McGregor’s marathon season finally ended in Brussels on Tuesday 11th June. After his 69th appearance for club and country since the 10th July in Alashkert, a short break finally arrived. 69 matches in 337 days is a match every 4.9 days. What to make of it all? As it is his birthday today, here is the end of season Report Card.
2018/19 Appearances
No other player hit 5000+ minutes. He played the full game in 54 out of 59 appearances. McGregor missed four matches in February and March with a calf strain. Those were the first matches he had ever missed for Celtic through injury.
2018/19 Defending
McGregor has played left back on occasion, most regrettably at Ibrox where his calming presence was missed in midfield. He started the season playing in attacking midfield positions but by September had settled into either a 6 position beside Brown or as an 8 within central midfield. Therefore, as one of the central midfielders, defensive actions are a core part of the role.
Numbers are per 90m
Very much a Green season for McGregor defensively. His DASR% is up 15% and he is winning more possession back. Challenges won and intercepts are up whilst unsuccessful challenges are down. He has missed more tackles, probably because he is making more. And he is committing more defensive errors, again probably because he is in the positions to do so. Overall this is a commendable performance to adapt the defensive aspects of his game. He is some way off Brown’s defensive rates but remember he hasn’t played the exact same role as the captain in many games. And he has the potential to do so as I showed in Brown and McGregor: The Great Debate.
2018/19 Ball Progression
McGregor is the master at scanning before receiving and then playing one or two touch progressive football. From a slightly deeper position we can expect more of this.
Numbers are per 90m
In all aspects of creative play, he has actually improved over last season. Despite playing deeper, he managed an incredible 17 assists, behind only Forrest. His Assist90 rate increased. And his xA of 0.276 was not too far ahead of the 0.3 assists he logged per 90m. He created 11% more chances per 90m also despite the fact it took on average 1 more pass per 90m for each chance. The deeper starting position may explain why his dribbling volume, success and Impect all rose. Running with the ball from deep given his better than average pace and above average close control is a useful way to break midfield lines. Again, due to a deeper position with slightly more time in possession, he is able to play more forward passes that take out opponents (Pack Passes). He has even increased his crossing productivity. The only red score is due to a higher volume of failed crosses although his success % has risen. All in all, the deeper starting position has allowed McGregor’s creativity to flourish and carry the ball more.
2018/19 Scoring Threat
Six goals this term followed a career high 12 last. However, with the change in role to be more central midfield orientated, we can expect the scoring metrics to drop off.
Numbers are per 90m
And that’s quite the Red Sea. He is taking less shots and taking more of them from outside the box. His xG is therefore down albeit it is higher than the scoring rate achieved. Interesting his Shot Accuracy has improved markedly. But something very odd happened last season. McGregor scored 12 goals from 27 shots on target. An On Target Conversion Rate of 44% is simply not sustainable. And our old friend regression to the mean has intervened to see his Conversion Rate tank. Only 7% of all shots, and 14% of those on target resulted in goals. For context, the team leading rates are Edouard who scores from 18% of all shots and 41% of shots on target. His Pack Receive rate is well down – this measure is for receiving forward passes under control. He is generally on the other side of the transaction now – i.e. the pass provider. The sea of red is therefore not a negative in the sense that his role involves fewer forward forays. With 1.83 possessions in the opposition box per 90m he ranks 10th in the squad and less than Tierney. McGregor still ranks 4th for successful passes into the Danger Zone.
Summary
McGregor is an absolute gem of a footballer. Capable of performing more than capably in a number of positions. He seems to have found a permanent home as a more conventional central midfielder although his stint at 6 showed even more versatility. Having more of the game in front of him has unleashed improved creativity. Never a prolific scorer, that side of his game has inevitably suffered. However, he is raising the bar as regards his defensive performances and competing like a central midfielder needs to do. Happy birthday and well done on a fantastic season.