Neil Robertson labels xG as a 'stupid stat' in podcast rant

Former snooker world champion Neil Robertson is NOT a fan of xG, as evidenced on a recent podcast appearance.

Robertson - a long-standing Chelsea supporter - was appearing as a guest on BBC Radio 5 Live Sport's FPL Podcast alongside Alistair Bruce-Ball, Chris Sutton and Statman Dave when he delivered a passionate rant in opposition of the controversial metric.

The Aussie snooker star is FPL obsessed, admitting that he often finds himself scrambling to reach a match deadline after matches and currently sits inside the top 50k in the world in this season's game.

This week could be a busy one for the 44-year-old then; not only are his preparations for the upcoming World Snooker Championship well underway, but he also has a crucial double gameweek to contend with!

The current world number three is expected to give it a good run when the Crucible event gets underway at the end of the month and could face old rival Ronnie O'Sullivan in the quarter-finals, should they both still be involved at the final eight stage.

Despite his successful FPL exploits, it's safe to assume that Robertson isn't using any 'expected goals' models to gain an advantage over fellow managers.

"I don't know how Chris [Sutton] feels about the xG stat, but oh my goodness," Robertson said.

"It's a stupid stat. It's absolutely ridiculous.

"If Erling Haaland goes through 1v1 and if Axel Disasi is through 1v1, for example, the xG is the same, but clearly it's not.

"One is fair more likely to score than the other.

"So, it's not actually based on the player's actual skill in finishing. It's based on a whole huge matric of the total average, whereas that's just not the reality."

Perhaps, Neil would find this xG explainer a helpful read.