ShotsChancesPassing

Passing & build-up

Are we better playing direct — or keeping the ball?
Team style, territory, who moves us up the pitch, and whether more passing actually buys better chances.
What this tells us
Direct — and the goals mostly come quickly
47% of the ball, 14% played long, 62% of goal kicks long — that profile reads direct. Whether more passing buys better chances, check the correlation explorer below — and note it is association, not cause.
47%
Possession
5yr avg 51% · n=190
379
Passes / game
5yr avg 416 · n=190
52%
Opp-half share
5yr avg 54% · n=190
14%
Long-ball %
5yr avg 15% · n=190
53
Final-3rd entries
5yr avg 59 · n=190
62%
Goal kicks long
5yr avg 60% · n=190
Directour index ⓘ · 2026–27
← DirectPossession →

Aberdeen keep 47% of the ball, play 52% of passes in the opposition half, and send 14% long.

Where we pass
52%opp half48%own half▲ attacking
196 / 183 per game
Goal kicks
62%
38%
LongShort
Goes long from the back despite keeping the ball elsewhere.
Does more passing create better chances?
Each dot is a match (5). Green win · gold draw · red loss.
r = +0.38
n=5 · not significant
X · passing metric
Y · chance output
3540455055606570750.00.51.01.52.02.5Final-third entries →xG →
Association from Aberdeen's own matches — not controlled for opponent or game state (a team chasing a game passes more and higher up).
No significant link at this sample — passing volume doesn't clearly move chance output here.
Where our goals come from
Every goal (2026–27) · hover for scorer & match · click a goal for the match report.
Build-up length — open-play goals
Total passes in each scoring move (the assist counts as one), for all 0 open-play goals — “0” is a solo run or rebound with no pass at all. Corners, set pieces & penalties have no passing move — see the map.
Click a bar to list the goals behind it.
Tracked moves (0): avg 0.0 passes (incl. the assist) · 0s from possession win to shot.
Style over five seasons
Possession % · final-3rd entries/g · long-ball % · goal-kicks long %
Poss %
58
47
49
53
48
47
21–2222–2323–2424–2525–2626–27
Final 3rd/g
62
55
64
57
55
53
21–2222–2323–2424–2525–2626–27
Long-ball %
15
15
17
13
13
14
21–2222–2323–2424–2525–2626–27
GK long %
60
75
72
41
48
62
21–2222–2323–2424–2525–2626–27
Explore next
Chances — where the passes end up →Shots — what the moves produce →Correlations — test the possession question →Build a chart — passing style by season →
5 matches · 2026–27 · data: WhoScored + FotMob · updated 5 Sept 2026 · xT = expected threat (danger a pass/carry adds) · xA = expected assists · how the numbers work · glossary