Expected Shot Impact Timing (xSIT) and Other Advanced Metrics as Indicators of Performance in English Men’s and Women’s Professional Football

Blackground: Football performance analysis has grown rapidly in recent years, with increasing interest in advanced metrics to more accurately evaluate both individual and team performance. The aim of this study was to examine the utility of the Expected Shots Impact Timing (xSIT) metric as an indicator of shooting performance in English professional football, specifically in the men’s Premier League (PL) and the Women’s Super League (WSL). Methods: A total of 9831 shots from the PL (2015/16 season) and 3219 shots from the WSL (2020/21 season) were analyzed. Data were obtained from publicly accessible football databases. The variables examined included goals, Possession Value (PV), Expected Goals (xG), Expected Goals on Target (xGOT), and xSIT. All variables were normalized per match (90 min). Descriptive statistics, correlational analyses, and comparative analyses between leagues. Results: The WSL exhibited a significantly higher PV than the PL (p < 0.001), whereas the remaining metrics showed no significant differences between leagues (p > 0.05). Moreover, in the WSL, all performance indicators displayed very strong correlations with goals, while in the PL, similarly strong associations were observed, except for PV, which showed only a weak relationship. Conclusions: the xSIT metric, as an indicator of shooting performance, may be regarded as an influential factor in determining match outcomes across both leagues.