Football cheat sheets: how to read team and player streaks

A football cheat sheet puts the streaks worth knowing before kick off in one place, from teams whose matches keep going over 2.5 goals to players who keep making tackles. Finding them yourself takes a long time, and it’s easy to miss one. Here’s what a cheat sheet is, how it helps and how to read one, with a real example from League Two.

What is a football cheat sheet?

A football cheat sheet is a list of things a team or player has done in every one of their recent matches. Over 2.5 goals in five games running, say, or three tackles in each of the last six.

Football Hub’s are called Cheatsheets, and they cover every upcoming fixture. Only a clean sweep counts: four out of five doesn’t make the list.

Team streaks

Team streaks follow what a side does as a whole: results, goals, clean sheets, both teams to score and corners. An unbeaten run is a team streak, and so is a run of matches with over 2.5 goals. They’re a quick way to see how a team’s matches have been going, whoever happened to score.

Player streaks

Player streaks follow one player: shots, shots on target, goals, assists, tackles, fouls, cards and saves. A player has to have played in every one of those matches for the streak to count, so it’s regulars you’ll see. If a match has no stats, the streak comes off the sheet rather than counting either way.

How does a cheat sheet help?

Finding streaks yourself means going through every team’s recent matches, one by one, then doing the same for their players. A cheat sheet does that for you, for every upcoming fixture, and it’s useful in three ways.

• It saves time. Every streak for every fixture is on one page, each with the match it’s for, so there’s no working through a season’s results to find them.
• It’s easy to check. You can see the number from each match behind a streak, so you never have to take it on trust. If something looks odd, the matches are there to look at.
• It gives you a place to start. A short list of things worth a closer look before a match is easier to work with than a whole page of stats. From there, you can dig into the ones that interest you.

How to read a football cheat sheet

Every line is laid out the same way, so once you’ve read one you’ve read them all. Here’s a real one from League Two: Barnet, the first card in this picture. Below it, each part of the card is set out on its own.

Look at the numbers, not just the streak

Barnet’s matches were well clear of the line four times and only just cleared it once, with 2 goals. Two lines with the same streak can tell quite different stories, and the numbers show you which is which.

Choose how far back to look

You can look back over the last five matches, or as many as ten. Five gives you more streaks and a better picture of what a side is doing right now. Ten gives you fewer, and each one has held for longer, through more opponents and more of the season.

Open a line for more

Tap any line to see who those matches were against, how strong they were and how the next opponent compares. Five clean sheets against the bottom five isn’t the same as five against the top five. You can also see the matches on a chart, and how the streak has gone over longer stretches and at home or away.

How to use football streaks well

1. Check the team news. A player’s streak only means something if they play. Wait for the line-ups, or check the injuries and suspensions on the match page first.
2. Look at the opponent. A run against weak sides says less about a match against a strong one. Opening the line shows you how the next opponent compares with the sides that came before.
3. Read it with everything else. A streak follows one side’s own recent matches, so it’s only part of the story. Form, head to heads and The Analyst all add to the picture, and it’s worth knowing when they agree and when they don’t.

Where to find Football Hub’s cheat sheets

Every league, cup and international competition in the app has Cheatsheets in its menu, and each match shows its own streaks on its Match Stats tab. They come with every paid plan, from £8 a month. Compare the plans.