Valérien Ismaël
Fixed shape
106 matches · 18 Sep 2021 – 31 Jan 2026 · usually 4-2-3-1
1.20points per game
32-31-43won · drawn · lost
-8.8points vs expected
34%came back when trailing (65)
63%held the lead when ahead (51)
| Split | P | W | D | L | PPG | GF | GA | xG | xGA | Scored first | Won when first | Lead mins | Trail mins | Late GF | Late GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 106 | 32 | 31 | 43 | 1.20 | 1.11 | 1.21 | 1.20 | 1.25 | 42% | 57% | 16.0 | 24.0 | 0.26 | 0.33 |
| Home | 53 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 1.23 | 1.32 | 1.25 | 1.33 | 1.09 | 43% | 48% | 14.9 | 24.3 | 0.42 | 0.30 |
| Away | 53 | 16 | 14 | 23 | 1.17 | 0.91 | 1.17 | 1.08 | 1.40 | 40% | 67% | 17.1 | 23.6 | 0.11 | 0.36 |
10 matches · 20 Dec 2025 – 31 Jan 2026 · usually 3-4-1-2
0.80points per game
1-5-4won · drawn · lost
-4.8points vs expected
33%came back when trailing (6)
100%held the lead when ahead (1)
| Split | P | W | D | L | PPG | GF | GA | xG | xGA | Scored first | Won when first | Lead mins | Trail mins | Late GF | Late GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 10 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 0.80 | 0.60 | 1.20 | 1.06 | 1.22 | 10% | 100% | 8.7 | 28.0 | 0.10 | 0.20 |
| Home | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.20 | 1.13 | 1.13 | 20% | 100% | 17.4 | 27.8 | 0.20 | 0.20 |
| Away | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0.60 | 0.20 | 1.20 | 0.99 | 1.32 | 0% | – | 0.0 | 28.2 | 0.00 | 0.20 |
42 matches · 01 Mar 2025 – 31 Jan 2026 · usually 4-2-3-1
1.07points per game
11-12-19won · drawn · lost
-11.0points vs expected
30%came back when trailing (27)
61%held the lead when ahead (18)
| Split | P | W | D | L | PPG | GF | GA | xG | xGA | Scored first | Won when first | Lead mins | Trail mins | Late GF | Late GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 42 | 11 | 12 | 19 | 1.07 | 0.95 | 1.24 | 1.17 | 1.22 | 38% | 56% | 16.7 | 28.0 | 0.19 | 0.31 |
| Home | 21 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 0.90 | 1.14 | 1.48 | 1.26 | 1.09 | 29% | 33% | 11.3 | 29.9 | 0.38 | 0.38 |
| Away | 21 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 1.24 | 0.76 | 1.00 | 1.08 | 1.34 | 48% | 70% | 22.1 | 26.0 | 0.00 | 0.24 |
Style vs Championship peers (5-year window · 106 matches · 88 peers)
| Metric | Coach | vs peers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 1.20 | -0.10 | |
| xG difference / match | -0.08 | +0.11 | |
| Possession % | 52.1 | +0.71 | |
| Shots / match | 12.7 | +0.74 | |
| Open-play share of xG | 74% | +0.54 | + = open play, − = set pieces |
| Tackles + interceptions | 26.8 | +0.73 | |
| Fouls / match | 12.1 | +1.18 | |
| Cards / match | 2.64 | +0.02 | |
| Came back when trailing | 34% | +0.57 | of matches trailed |
| Held lead when ahead | 63% | -0.19 | of matches led |
| Substitutions / match | 4.03 | +0.13 | |
| First substitution (min) | 55.4 | -0.57 | + = later |
| Changes shape between games | 24% | -1.22 |
- Usual shape
- 4-2-3-1 (9 shapes used)
- First sub when trailing
- 51.2'
- First sub when leading
- 65.3'
- Makes a change before 60'
- 57% of matches
| Shape | P | Share | W | D | L | PPG | xG diff | Last used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-2-3-1 usual | 25 | 24% | 7 | 6 | 12 | 1.08 | -0.18 | 31 Jan 2026 |
| 4-3-3 | 23 | 22% | 7 | 7 | 9 | 1.22 | – | 13 Feb 2024 |
| 3-4-1-2 | 18 | 17% | 4 | 7 | 7 | 1.06 | +0.16 | 20 Jan 2026 |
| 3-4-2-1 | 15 | 14% | 5 | 6 | 4 | 1.40 | +0.43 | 01 Nov 2025 |
| 4-1-4-1 | 11 | 10% | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1.64 | – | 24 Feb 2024 |
| 3-4-3 | 10 | 9% | 4 | 0 | 6 | 1.20 | -0.68 | 12 Mar 2025 |
| 4-5-1 | 2 | 2% | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1.00 | – | 01 Jan 2024 |
| 3-1-4-2 | 1 | 1% | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | -1.93 | 17 Jan 2026 |
| 4-4-2 | 1 | 1% | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | – | 02 Mar 2024 |
| Shape | P | Share | W | D | L | PPG | xG diff | Last used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-4-1-2 usual | 7 | 70% | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1.00 | +0.21 | 20 Jan 2026 |
| 4-2-3-1 | 2 | 20% | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.50 | -0.62 | 31 Jan 2026 |
| 3-1-4-2 | 1 | 10% | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | -1.93 | 17 Jan 2026 |
| Shape | P | Share | W | D | L | PPG | xG diff | Last used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-2-3-1 usual | 21 | 50% | 6 | 5 | 10 | 1.10 | -0.13 | 31 Jan 2026 |
| 3-4-1-2 | 18 | 43% | 4 | 7 | 7 | 1.06 | +0.16 | 20 Jan 2026 |
| 3-1-4-2 | 1 | 2% | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | -1.93 | 17 Jan 2026 |
| 3-4-2-1 | 1 | 2% | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.00 | +0.43 | 01 Nov 2025 |
| 3-4-3 | 1 | 2% | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | -0.68 | 12 Mar 2025 |
4 clubs · match figures cover the last five years
| Club | From | To | P | W-D-L | PPG | vs xPts | First 10 | Predecessor | Bounce |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Blackburn Rovers |
Feb 2025 | Feb 2026 | 42 | 11-12-19 | 1.07 | -11.0 | 1.10 | 1.20 | -0.10 |
 Watford |
Jul 2023 | Mar 2024 | 40 | 12-13-15 | 1.22 | – | 0.90 | 1.20 | -0.30 |
| Watford |
May 2023 | Jun 2023 | 0 | 0-0-0 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Watford |
May 2023 | May 2023 | 0 | 0-0-0 | – | – | – | – | – |
 Beşiktaş |
Mar 2022 | Oct 2022 | 0 | 0-0-0 | – | – | – | – | – |
 West Bromwich Albion |
Sep 2021 | – | 23 | 8-6-9 | 1.30 | – | 1.70 | – | – |
Also recorded: Watford (1 match, Mar 2024)
| Date | Comp | Opponent | Score | xG | Shape | Subs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Jan 2026 | UK CHAMP | v HUL | 0–1 L | 0.87 · 1.32 | 4-2-3-1 | 4 (first 46') | |
| 24 Jan 2026 | UK CHAMP | v WAT | 1–1 D | 0.64 · 1.42 | 4-2-3-1 | 4 (first 61') | came back |
| 20 Jan 2026 | UK CHAMP | at SWA | 1–3 L | 0.97 · 0.99 | 3-4-1-2 | 2 (first 73') | |
| 17 Jan 2026 | UK CHAMP | at IPS | 0–3 L | 0.78 · 2.71 | 3-1-4-2 | 3 (first 46') | |
| 11 Jan 2026 | UK FA Cup | at HUL | 0–0 D | 1.01 · 1.57 | 3-4-1-2 | 6 (first 55') | |
| 04 Jan 2026 | UK CHAMP | v CHA | 2–2 D | 1.37 · 1.47 | 3-4-1-2 | 4 (first 46') | came back |
| 01 Jan 2026 | UK CHAMP | v WXH | 0–2 L | 0.92 · 0.79 | 3-4-1-2 | 3 (first 46') | |
| 29 Dec 2025 | UK CHAMP | at SHF | 0–0 D | 0.81 · 0.38 | 3-4-1-2 | 2 (first 74') | |
| 26 Dec 2025 | UK CHAMP | at MID | 0–0 D | 1.35 · 0.93 | 3-4-1-2 | 5 (first 45') | |
| 20 Dec 2025 | UK CHAMP | v MLW | 2–0 W | 1.86 · 0.66 | 3-4-1-2 | 5 (first 66') | |
| 13 Dec 2025 | UK CHAMP | at PTM | 1–2 L | 1.09 · 2.15 | 3-4-1-2 | 5 (first 70') | dropped lead |
| 09 Dec 2025 | UK CHAMP | v OXF | 1–1 D | 2.28 · 0.32 | 3-4-1-2 | 3 (first 46') | came back |
| 02 Dec 2025 | UK CHAMP | v IPS | 1–1 D | 0.91 · 0.76 | 3-4-1-2 | 5 (first 57') | dropped lead |
| 29 Nov 2025 | UK CHAMP | at WXH | 1–1 D | 1.48 · 2.13 | 3-4-1-2 | 4 (first 70') | dropped lead |
| 26 Nov 2025 | UK CHAMP | v QPR | 0–1 L | 0.90 · 1.41 | 3-4-1-2 | 5 (first 73') | |
| 21 Nov 2025 | UK CHAMP | at PNE | 2–1 W | 1.40 · 2.18 | 3-4-1-2 | 3 (first 84') | |
| 08 Nov 2025 | UK CHAMP | v DRB | 1–2 L | 1.15 · 0.79 | 3-4-1-2 | 3 (first 46') | |
| 04 Nov 2025 | UK CHAMP | at BSC | 1–0 W | 1.37 · 0.58 | 3-4-1-2 | 5 (first 62') | |
| 01 Nov 2025 | UK CHAMP | at LEI | 2–0 W | 1.73 · 1.30 | 3-4-2-1 | 5 (first 46') | |
| 25 Oct 2025 | UK CHAMP | v SOU | 2–1 W | 2.18 · 1.15 | 3-4-1-2 | 3 (first 67') | came back |
| 21 Oct 2025 | UK CHAMP | v SHU | 1–3 L | 0.99 · 1.19 | 3-4-1-2 | 5 (first 69') | dropped lead |
| 18 Oct 2025 | UK CHAMP | at CVC | 0–2 L | 1.26 · 1.02 | 3-4-1-2 | 5 (first 62') | |
| 04 Oct 2025 | UK CHAMP | v STK | 1–1 D | 1.91 · 1.29 | 4-2-3-1 | 4 (first 59') | came back |
| 30 Sep 2025 | UK CHAMP | v SWA | 1–2 L | 0.74 · 0.62 | 4-2-3-1 | 3 (first 46') | dropped lead |
| 27 Sep 2025 | UK CHAMP | at CHA | 0–3 L | 0.65 · 1.16 | 4-2-3-1 | 4 (first 46') |