Moyes Don't Cry - English Premier League 2022/23

[Ray de Galles]

Not sure how decisive any of this is but interesting nonetheless:

How did winter World Cup shape Premier League season?

[Satchmo Distel]

Arsenal might have actually wobbled earlier without the break. Some sympathy for Leicester and Vieira.

[danielmak]

Not sure how decisive any of this is but interesting nonetheless:

How did winter World Cup shape Premier League season?

Roughly 50% improved and roughly 50% had worse records. I'd assume that is true for any mid-season to end of season comparison. It did seem to me (without any statistical support for this claim) that the defending was a lot worse this season. I don't know if this observation correlates with a higher goals per game. But perhaps the general crunch of league positions meant the talent was spread out. City clearly has enough talent for 2 starting teams. After that it seemed like there was a legit 4-5 teams that would compete for top spots. Once one looked below the top 10, it was chaos. Chelsea were poor but never going to be relegated whereas Palace (who finished one spot above Chelsea) were in danger for a long time. As were Wolves and everyone behind them in the final standings. I don't think the WC had anything to do with this. But I can't pinpoint why teams were generally so poor this season. Most of the teams in the bottom 10 did not look good before the WC.

With that said, again, it could be that talent was spread among the lower half of the table teams which created greater parity. West Ham were in danger yet are in a European final.

[Snake Plissken]

Most teams from 8th down to about 18th are always much of a muchness. None of them look particularly good when playing the BRCs and you never seem them on TV when they are not playing the BRCs.

City will always kick into gear in the second half of a season because the depth of their squad means that their players are going to be fresher. Arsenal were always going to get a bit tired because, well, every team that doesn't have the luxury of sticking De Bruyne, Mahrez and Alvarez on the bench for at least a third of the season is going to get tired. I'm only half-joking when I say that Liverpools final points lead when they won the title was so huge was because they had spent so much of that season and the previous at full pelt they didn't actually know how to take their foot off the gas. They still look knackered now.

[cantagalo]

Most teams from 8th down to about 18th are always much of a muchness. None of them look particularly good when playing the BRCs and you never seem them on TV when they are not playing the BRCs.

I feel obliged to point out here that Brentford's record against the Big Six this season is W6 D3 L3.

[ale]

I feel obliged to point out here that Brentford's record against the Big Six this season is W6 D3 L3.

While against the Top Six it W5 D2 L5. Which still impressive enough.Maybe more so.

[pebblethefish]

While against the Top Six it W5 D2 L5. Which still impressive enough.Maybe more so.

Look, we're not going to accept you as a Big Six club until you let us beat you.

[Tony C]

I feel obliged to point out here that Brentford's record against the Big Six this season is W6 D3 L3.

Including a double over the champions.

[That Night In Barcelona]

Roughly 50% improved and roughly 50% had worse records. I'd assume that is true for any mid-season to end of season comparison. It did seem to me (without any statistical support for this claim) that the defending was a lot worse this season. I don't know if this observation correlates with a higher goals per game.

I think I read somewhere that this season has had the second highest goals per game average in the Premier League era.

Just as an aside, I did a quick back of the envelope calculation comparing goals per game featuring the top 6 teams (i.e. how many goals are scored in games where one or both of the top 6 are playing) and goals per game for the rest and it comes out as:

1. Average number of goals for a game featuring one or two of the top 6: 3.08
2. Average number of goals for a game featuring only the bottom 14 teams: 2.7

I'll work out the average goals per game when a big 6 team players a non-big 6 a bit later, it'll be interesting to see if it's changed much over the last few years.

[That Night In Barcelona]

This season when a top 6 team has played one of the bottom 14, the games have averaged 2.9 goals. When it's top 6 vs another top 6 team it's 3.5! (I did wonder if Liverpool have skewed this with their win against Man Utd, but then I remembered their 9-0 against Bournemouth so it balances out). For bottom 14 vs another bottom 14 side, these games average the least with 2.6 goals.

[delicatemoth]

What I remember is that Faes looked decent when Leicester signed him but terrible after the World Cup. Dunno how he did at the tournament, maybe he scored a hattrick of ogs or something.

Youri Tielemans has issued a message thanking Leicester fans for a great time as he departs. I don't know how common this is, it feels like he might be a bit embarrassed at leaving a relegated club. He doesn't need to be, it's not his fault LCFC had unrealistic expectations for a fee last summer. He's been mostly shit this season but he has played a metric shit-ton of football so he might be continually knackered. I hope he goes to a less physically demanding league, I fear for him if he moves to a Premier League club.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Not sure how decisive any of this is but interesting nonetheless:

How did winter World Cup shape Premier League season?

This article is nonsense. It just lists who did better after the tournament and who did worse, with no real link to the world cup. I expected it to be about the impact on distances covered, On the number of non contact injuries etc.

[Foot of Astaire's]

This article is nonsense. It just lists who did better after the tournament and who did worse, with no real link to the world cup. I expected it to be about the impact on distances covered, On the number of non contact injuries etc.

There was not enough in it, for you?

[Nocturnal Submission]

There was not enough in it, for you?

Careful. He's probably copyrighted that bloody expression.

You'll be paying him royalties.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Hah

[Discordant Resonance]

This article is nonsense. It just lists who did better after the tournament and who did worse, with no real link to the world cup. I expected it to be about the impact on distances covered, On the number of non contact injuries etc.

Indeed, Arsenal only really collapsed from April onwards, so hard to argue the World Cup had any effect on their season, and in the case of both Villa and Wolves, changes in management would have changed their fortunes regardless of the hiatus.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Most teams from 8th down to about 18th are always much of a muchness. None of them look particularly good when playing the BRCs and you never seem them on TV when they are not playing the BRCs.

City will always kick into gear in the second half of a season because the depth of their squad means that their players are going to be fresher. Arsenal were always going to get a bit tired because, well, every team that doesn't have the luxury of sticking De Bruyne, Mahrez and Alvarez on the bench for at least a third of the season is going to get tired. I'm only half-joking when I say that Liverpools final points lead when they won the title was so huge was because they had spent so much of that season and the previous at full pelt they didn't actually know how to take their foot off the gas. They still look knackered now.

The big advantage that man city have, and that liverpool also had when they were good, is how controlled their play is. Man city let the ball do a lot of the work, and are generally doing less high intensity running to win every game. There's a lot of trundling into position to receive the ball and move it on. Compare that to arsenal or man utd two seasons ago where they were having to work much harder for every win.

Then you have their squad. They seriously use only about 16 players and the rest are basically there to make up the numbers at training. But those players are so flexible and of such high quality that they're all effectively interchangeable so they can make three or four changes and have no impact on the level of performance

When arsenal had to go much beyond their first xi you started to notice. Man city would miss Kevin de bruyne, but not as much as arsenal would miss saka.and that's true of most other clubs.

Only some of these city advantages have to do with obscene amounts of money, most of it is down to them doing the same thing for seven years so by now things are running really smoothly.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Indeed, Arsenal only really collapsed from April onwards, so hard to argue the World Cup had any effect on their season, and in the case of both Villa and Wolves, changes in management would have changed their fortunes regardless of the hiatus.

It fucking exhausted a lot of their best players. Saka played so much football this season. Watching man utd trudging their way to the end of the season was such a chore. Those players were ready to end the season at roughly the normal time.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Careful. He's probably copyrighted that bloody expression.

You'll be paying him royalties.

I definitely did not come up with this, It's used by every pundit in every match, when they're demanding that there be no punishment for some act of violent cynicism or violent recklessness.

[caja-dglh]

Not enough in it for him to copyright. Fair use.

[danielmak]

Probably the most fitting thread for this interesting piece by Jonathan Wilson about Leicester City and the city of Leicester.

[Mr Beast]

The first comment after the article is full of anti Islamic and anti immigrant shit. And is commended by others for being so.

No fault of Jonathan Wilson I should point out.

[Ray de Galles]

No fault apart for writing for Unherd maybe, isn't it some kind of reactionary Spiked/Spectator style outlet?

[Mr Beast]

I’ve never heard of it Ray. But I take your point that if someone is going to pay you then a little research into them probably isn’t too much to ask.

I wonder how Daily Mail sportswriters justify themselves.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

The first comment after the article is full of anti Islamic and anti immigrant shit. And is commended by others for being so.

No fault of Jonathan Wilson I should point out.

What is his fault, is that he's writing for unherd again. He does not need the money.