[ad_1]
As much as Manchester City have shown little in terms of title-winning form so far in 2020/21, their impressive record in recent years means that they are still highly regarded by prediction models and bookmakers alike.
And while it would be foolish to completely ignore their chances when they’ve only played eight games this season, they haven’t been able to have a long winning streak since winning the 2018/19 Premier League.
Before the league title was settled last season, City had two streaks of winning three league games, and only put together a five-game streak once they played with dead tires in July.
As it stands, Chelsea is one of the clubs that appears to pose a much greater threat to Liverpool’s hopes of retaining the championship. They were the biggest net spenders in the Premier League in the summer (according to The Guardian) and overall they seem to have invested the money very wisely.
Frank Lampard’s team is also one of the fit teams in the top flight. Only Tottenham are currently on a longer unbeaten streak (the Blues’ only loss this season was to Liverpool) and in the last seven weeks of matches no club in the division has a better goal difference.
Chelsea seem to have largely fixed their defensive woes, which has obviously helped tremendously. Who would have thought that buying a legendary center-back and a capable goalkeeper could help, huh? And with the attacking options at Lampard’s disposal, it looks like they could fight for the title.
However, while it might be an exaggeration to say that they are in a false position in the league table, it is also fair to say that the match team gave them a relatively benign start to the season.
Their five victories have come against teams currently in the bottom half of the table, and they have only faced two teams that are in the top nine. Both games were at home and neither was won; the Reds earned three points with a 2-0 victory, while Southampton rallied from 2-0 and 3-2 to earn a point.
The SoccerStats.com website has a Relative performance index , which analyzes the average records of points per game of the teams that a club has faced and determines if the games were at home or away.
Chelsea’s opponents have averaged just 0.87 points per game this season, which is not only the lowest figure in the division, it’s pretty far from the next-easiest (which is Wolves at 1.15). Multiply the average PPG of the Blues by that of your opponents and you get 1.74; do the same with Liverpool and you’ll get 3.13, the highest in the Premier League.
While it is too early in 2020/21 to talk about the showdown in a serious way, as it stands, Chelsea have the toughest remaining matches of any top flight team.
Your content written from Liverpool, but done differently and straight to your inbox.
You know what it is about, that it offers you the best in-depth, alternative and current content, but it also takes Liverpool, the Football Club and the city to wherever you are in the world.
If you’re too busy to scroll or search, simply subscribe to our newsletter to receive your daily selection of written content, from transfers to tactics, delivered directly to your inbox. You will also receive a weekly summary personally written by the editor, as well as the opportunity to stay up-to-date with any of the latest offers and exclusives we have.
All angles of the champions covered.
For all Liverpool fans on the planet.
How do you register?
It’s easy and only takes a few seconds.
Just type your email address in the box at the top of this article and click “Subscribe.”
And that’s it, you are ready.
The PPG difference between collective teams that a club has faced and those that are on the prowl is negligible for most teams, but in SoccerStats Chelsea’s figure stands out like a very sore red thumb. Every game that takes place changes the numbers, but right now the Blues’ remaining games are 79 percent more difficult than those they have already played.
Nor is it that Chelsea have performed so well in the most difficult games with Frank Lampard. His team is only fifth in the six major mini-leagues during his time in charge ( by Transfermarkt ), with four victories in 12 games played. However, at least Liverpool fans will always have fond memories of Chelsea’s win over Manchester City, huh Frank?
In light of their amiable list of matches, there must also be some concern with Chelsea’s underlying stats. If we look at the expected goal figures for Five thirty eight , and without taking into account penalties, Chelsea have generated less offense than those of Brighton, Leeds and West Ham.
The Blues are also running very hot in front of goal. They have scored 22 times of chances worth approximately 15 expected goals, which means they are above performance by a whopping 47 percent. Not the biggest difference in the Premier League, hello Southampton, but there is no way it will last a whole season. Tottenham Hotspur had the highest over-performance in the division last year, and that was just eight percent.
Where they have an advantage is in the quality of their equipment. Eleven different Chelsea players have already scored in the Premier League this season, at least three more than at any other club ( by football lineups ), and that total doesn’t include the impressive Christian Pulisic either.
If the Blues can keep their team healthy through most seasons, it could make a difference, and we can’t rule out Roman Abramovich getting into their pockets in January either.
And even though everything about having a smooth set of matches and looking lucky in attack is true, they could beat Spurs on Sunday and finish the weekend at the top of the league depending on what happens elsewhere. places. However, they need to beat some decent teams before they can cement their title dreams into realistic aspirations.
[ad_2]
