The facts and figures that you need to know, might not know and didn’t know that you wanted to know.

The numbers are in and the facts are known – see below some of the key statistics from the 2019 Brazilian Serie A. I’ve included a comparison with the same figures from the previous year. Overall, there were more goals, fewer 0-0 draws and Flamengo were a lot more dominant than title winners Palmeiras in the previous year.

Once again, the teams that used the most players did worst, and the teams that used the fewest players did best; continuity is the key to success, but even though common sense and the numbers suggest this is the case, some teams choose to ignore it.

2.3 – average goals per game (2.2 in 2018)

1.4 – average number of goals scored by the home side (1.4 in 2018)

0.9 – average number of goals scored by the away side (0.8 in 2018)

1-0 – most common result, the scoreline in 15% of all games (this was also the most common result in 2018, although 18% of matches ended with that score in 2018)

5 goals – biggest margin of victory in any match, which happened on four occasions (biggest margin of victory in 2018 was four goals)

9 goals – highest scoring match (highest scoring match in 2018 had 7 goals)

4-4 – highest scoring draw

35 – number of matches that finished 0-0; that’s 9% of all games and the fifth most common result (down from 43 games in 2018)

90 – the number of points won by Champions Flamengo (10 more than Champions Palmeiras in 2018)

20 – number of points won by of bottom-placed Avaí­ (that’s three fewer than the bottom placed team in 2018)

20 – the points difference between Libertadores qualifiers Corinthians, in 8th, and relegated Cruzeiro, in 17th (the difference was 15 point last year; this compares with the 42 point difference between Champions League qualification and relegation in the 2017/18 English Premier League)

86 – number of goals scored by the Champions Flamengo, who had the best attack (that’s 2.3 goals per game, compared with 1.7 goals per game of Palmeiras in 2018)

18 – number of goals scored by Avaí­, who had the worst attack (0.5 goals per match, and the same number of goals as the worst attack in 2018)

30 – number of goals conceded by São Paulo, who had the best defence (the best defence in 2018 was Palmeiras, who conceded 26 goals)

64– number of goals conceded by Goiás, who had the worst defence despite finishing 10th (1.7 goals per match)

748 – the number of players that played in the Brazilian Série A in 2018 (average of 37.4 per team)

42 – the number of players used by Avaí­ in their 38 league matches, the most of any team in the league (Parana finished last in 2019; they used 50 players)

29 – the number of players used by Santos, the least of any team in the league (they finished second; 29 was the fewest number of players used by Palmeiras, who finished first in 2018)

0 – the number of players to play every single league game for their club (6 players played 37 games; four of these were keepers; the outfield players were Quintero and Eduardo Sasha)

21 – the number of substitute appearances by Bahia’s Fernandão

25 – number of goals scored by Gabriel Barbosa, the league’s top scorer (that was in 29 games, 0.86 goals per game; he was also top scorer in 2018, but with 16 goals)

16 years – the age of Miguel (Fluminense), the youngest player in the league

41 years – the current age of the oldest players Léo Moura (18 appearances) and Fernando Prass (Magrão was the oldest player last year, aged 41 in December)

13 – the number of players currently under the age of 20 that played more than 10 matches (compared with 9 last year)

26 – the number of times that full time managers were either sacked or resigned (most of them were sacked – the same number as last year)

4 – the number of full time managers employed by Cruzeiro during their 38-game campaign that ended in relegation (last year, Sport employed four full time managers and were also relegated)

3 – teams that didn’t change their coach during the season (bravo Bahia, Grêmio and Santos; only three teams didn’t change manager during the season last year)

2 – the number of coaches currently aged 70+, who managed in the league this year (Luiz Felipe Scolari and Geninho)

34 – the age of Athletico-PR interim boss Eduardo Barros, the youngest in the league (Barbieri was the youngest in 2018, aged 37)

3 – the number of full time managers, aged under 40, that managed in the league this year

5 – the number of players currently aged less than 20 used by Vasco

29 – the average age of players used by Ceará this year

25 – the average age of players used by Fluminense this year

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