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For football fans, the first day of Christmas means that madness is just around the corner.
Saturday is St. Stephen’s Day, the starting shot for a space Christmas packed with the Premier League. For ten days, the players will fight through a brutal match program, while we sit on the couch.
The first 14 rounds have been business as usual. Liverpool leaders Arsenal are struggling and José Mourinho has provided new metaphors, such as Tottenham being a “pony” in the title race.
But other events have been more unexpected, like these seven:
1. Bamford is the most “dangerous” player in the league
Last season, Patrick Bamford received criticism. He scored 16 goals in 45 league games at the second-highest level, which is weak for a lone striker in a team that ensures promotion.
But Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa kept his faith in him and has clearly seen something in him.
This season, Bamford has scored nine goals in 14 league games.
Bamford in a game against Manchester City in October.
Photo: Paul Ellis / AFP
Only four more players have scored: Mohamed Salah (13 goals), Jamie Vardy (11), Son Heung-min (11) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (11). But several of these have had the advantage of shooting simple penalty goals.
Excluding these goals, only Son and Calvert-Lewin have scored more than Bamford.
And while these two have been more effective in front of the goal, it can be said that Bamford has been more dangerous, at least if you talk about the ability to reach great opportunities.
Leeds coach Marcelo Bielsa (right) with Bamford.
Photo: John Clifton / Reuters
As for “expected goals,” a statistical formula that calculates the quality of chances, Bamford should have scored 0.73 goals every 90 minutes other than penalties, according to the analytics company. StatsBomb. This is by far the highest average in the Premier League.
For a player on a newly promoted team to top these statistics is extraordinary.
It says a bit about how much Leeds creates under Bielsa, but also how smart Bamford moves inside the box. So far he has scored 0.68 goals per game.
If the 27-year-old becomes an even sharper spiker, he may become one of the best players in the league.
2. Chief Harry
In the past six years, Harry Kane has scored at least 17 league goals per season. Generally, you have had one intention: to quit smoking as often as possible.
Now he has suddenly become the most outstanding foreman in the league.
The main opportunity creators are usually wings and game creators. Although Kane is a forward, he has 10 assists. It’s not just the most in the Premier League; If you look at the main divisions of Spain, Italy, France and Germany, there are no more than seven.
AND plus Kane has scored nine league goals himself.
Assist King Kane celebrates his own goal against Arsenal in early December.
Photo: Glyn Kirk / AFP
What happened? In January, Tottenham lost playmaker Christian Eriksen. Mourinho has made up for the loss by pushing Kane deeper into the field, where he can pass three sticks to the wings.
Kane especially looks to the runs of Son, who has received eight of the 10 passes on goal.
Several of them have come on silver plates.
3. The city hardly scores goals
It is not a “goal drought”, but something is wrong for Manchester City.
Even when they came in second place last season, they scored 102 league goals. The previous two seasons they scored 95 and 106; the latter is a record in the Premier League. Pep Guardiola’s team almost scored forever much.
That is, outside of this season, where City is located with 19 goals in 13 games.
Although it evaporates from him in the cold winter, Gabriel Jesus has not been as passionate in the field.
Photo: Michael Regan / AFP
There are less than 10 other teams.
Why? Top scorer Sergio Agüero has been injured, second pick Gabriel Jesus is struggling, while wingers Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez have not been themselves. Perhaps the short summer vacation has also eroded your energy.
The consolation is that City have the best defense in the league. But they have to score more often if Guardiola wants to take the title for the third time.
4. Arsenal match in the last battle
Although Arsenal haven’t exactly laid the foundation for long-term success with their signing in recent years, few expected a so strong start to the season.
The proud London club is in 15th place, four points behind relegation.
This is Arsenal’s weakest start to the season after 14 rounds from 1974-75.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is under pressure during the day.
Photo: Jon Super / AFP
Of has He has had some bad luck in front of the goal, but the numbers do not speak of a team that should be higher than the center of the table. And if coach Mikel Arteta is sent off, it will not solve the problems that have brought them here.
5. The new Van Dijk is Danish
It’s impossible to replace Virgil van Dijk, but Southampton, which sold the plug giant to Liverpool in December 2017, has come closer than anyone had thought.
And that with a player who was not even stuck in the team last season.
Jannik Vestergaard has been a revelation. The Danish is almost two meters tall, towers in the air and splashing water towards the edges. He leads a team from Southampton that is now in seventh place.
He has also scored three league goals. It doesn’t hurt either.
Danske Vestergaard joined Southampton in 2018.
Photo: Naomi Baker / Reuters
Sander Berge can go down
Sheffield United is vying for a place in the Europa League in June. While it was “only” ninth place, it was very strong for a newly promoted team.
It is therefore surprising that they are now on a steady path to descent.
If a newly promoted team retains its place in the first year, it is often referred to as the “difficult second season.” Sheffield United is an example of horror.
They have two points in 14 games.
Sander Berge (left) has suffered a stress injury and will be out for three months.
Photo: Alex Pantling / AFP
Which is a bit strange, because Sander Berge’s team hasn’t been so bad. They are with 12 defeats; nine of them have had a margin of one goal. Statistical models say they should have scored a lot more than eight goals.
The team will probably get better with time. Unfortunately, it will probably happen too late.
7. The most expensive porter (reserve) in the world
Chelsea conceded 54 league goals last season.
That just ended for a top club.
The statistical model showed that should he has conceded around 38 goals. So why did the goals come in?
Because Chelsea saved by far the lowest shooting percentage in the league. Of all the shots that hit their target, 55 percent were saved.
In other words, almost half of the shots went on target at the net.
These weren’t good numbers for Kepa Arrizabalaga, the man Chelsea made the world’s most expensive goalkeeper when they brought him in for 760 million kronor in 2018. So in September they brought in a new goalkeeper, Édouard Mendy.
Edouard Mendy of Chelsea, here in action against Burnley.
Photo: Oli Scarff / AP
Many thought it was an update.
Few thought the difference would be so Big.
In four of the first five league games this season, Chelsea were either with Kepa or second goalkeeper Willy Caballero. They conceded nine goals.
Then Mendy kept the cage in six league games. Chelsea conceded a goal.
Mendy has not only been a better goalkeeper than Kepa; the entire defense has been transformed. With Mendy in the field of the League and the Champions League, Chelsea have conceded six goals in 15 games.
It’s amazing what a goalkeeper change can do on a team.
