Attacking and defensive efficiency: League 1

As for the previous Championship post (which contains an explanation of how this diagram works), here’s the League 1 distribution for shots taken per goal scored vs. shots faced per goals conceded (click for full size):

Some observations I’ve made:

• Charlton’s dominance is there for all to see – they have both the sharpest attack and the meanest defence; the latter by quite some distance. It’s a tribute to the effectiveness of newly-promoted Stevenage’s all-action approach that they’re ensconced in the hallowed top left quadrant – few sides have allowed less shots on their goal and only Carlisle have had more goal attempts.
• Walsall and Rochdale possess two of the most wasteful strike forces in the division, but at least the Saddlers aren’t too culpable at the back – Dale’s leaky defence could well separate these two in the relegation battle.
• There’s not much separating the two Sheffield teams in the table at the moment, but this suggests that the Blades could have the edge (if you’ll pardon the pun). While the Owls are marginally the more clinical in front of goal, their defence is significantly less robust – this is particularly true away from home, where they’ve conceded over twice as many as their city rivals.
• Wycombe have the most porous defence, but they can be encouraged by their efficient front men – the only problem is they don’t take enough shots: only 3 sides have had fewer goal attempts.