Hoffenheim are currently in the battle to stay in the German Bundesliga, at 16th out of 18 teams in the Bundesliga table. They have been a successful team in the German top flight and have finished in the top ten in six of their last eight Bundesliga campaigns. However, this season in the Bundesliga, Hoffenheim’s form is poor overall with five wins, four draws, and a massive 13 losses. This is a worrying sign for the team given their previous successes. They only have 19 points on the board and have lost their last five in the league. The 13 losses out of 22 played majorly come down to the lack of goals scored and the high amount of goals conceded. Below are some of the stats from their outings in the German top flight.
The viz above shows the percentile rank of the team’s stats in comparison to other teams in the Bundesliga in 2022/23. They possess a decent rank with respect to expected goals scored. The team can improve in areas such as conceding goals and applying more pressure to their opponents. They rank average when it comes to passing and possession and are also struggling in terms of scoring goals.
Lack of goals
Their struggles in front of the goal are one of the major reasons behind their poor performance in the league. The team is ranked very low in the 2022–23 Bundesliga season for goals scored per match. They average 1.38 goals per 90 minutes and are just ahead of other relegation teams like Stuttgart, Bochum, and Schalke. They have scored 29 goals this season (32.49 xG) from 261 shots. Most of their goals have come from inside the box. The team has been able to get into the box and create chances but hasn’t found the back of the net too often. They take 12.09 shots per 90 having 39 % accuracy.
Inability to prevent goals
Another area where the team aren’t quite there yet in the current Bundesliga season is in terms of letting in goals. Although the team has been successful in winning defensive duels, they fail to prevent goals from being conceded. The team contests 69.27 defensive duels per 90 minutes, winning 60.6 % of them. Hoffenheim have conceded a total of 41 goals (1.66 xGA) already this season, which has been a huge problem for them.
Going forward
One of the positives for the team is their efficiency in positional attacks. The team has the ability to create chances for themselves and get into the penalty box. They are ranked fourth in the league for efficiency of positional attacks (10%) and average 27.41 positional attacks per 90. It is definitely a sign of their quality and ability on the pitch and an indication that the team is just lacking the finishing touch.
Hoffenheim in front of the goal last season
The above viz shows the shot map for Hoffenheim from the 2021/22 Bundesliga season. The team finished ninth at the end of the season, having scored 55 goals from a total of 418 shots in the top flight. They also had a better xG per shot as compared to now and had plenty of chances inside the box.
Overall, the team has the ability to go forward and create chances for themselves but lacks the finishing touch. Their losses in the league have exceeded their wins and draw combined, and their fate looks uncertain if they are not able to improve on their poor performances in the Bundesliga this season.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
