Posts Categorized: opta

Dzeko or Tevez – Who should stay? Would you take them in your team?

Posted by & filed under Arsenal (M), Arsenal (NN), Chelsea, Dzeko, Dzeko Opta Stats, Dzeko Stats, English Premier League Opta Stats, English Premier League Stats, EPL, EPL Index Featured Article, EPL Index Statistical Comparisons, epl opta stats, EPL Stats, Liverpool, Malaga, Manchester City, MCFC, opta, Opta Stats, Premier League, premier league opta stats, Real Madrid, Tevez, Tevez Opta Stats, Tevez Stats, Tottenham Hotspur, villarreal.

With the excitement building ahead of the new Premier League campaign, there has been a lot of activity from the biggest teams in England. David Moyes has made his first signing as manager of Manchester United in young Uruguayan full back Guillermo Varela, whilst neighbours Manchester City have confirmed the transfers of Fernandinho and Jesus [...]

Dzeko or Tevez – Who should stay? Would you take them in your team?

EPL Opta Stats & Blog | eplindex.com – soccer stats – Our EPL Stats are Powered by Opta stats | English Premier League stats & blog | Subscribe to the EPL Stats Centre at eplindex.com

The ‘One-Man Team’ – does it really exist?

Posted by & filed under Bale, English Premier League News, English Premier League Opta Stats, English Premier League Stats, EPL, epl opta stats, EPL Stats, Gareth Bale Stats, Manchester Utd, one man team, opta, Opta Stats, Premier League, premier league opta stats, Tottenham Hotspur, Van Persie, Van Persie Stats.

WHAT IS THE DEFINITION of a talisman? United have Van Persie, City have Aguero, Liverpool have Suarez and Spurs of course have Bale. Each Premier League squad has its key player, but does their ability to perform to a high standard depend on their talisman’s presence on the team-sheet? The obvious team to have a [...]

The ‘One-Man Team’ – does it really exist?

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A Quintuplet of Options: Tottenham’s Quest for Strikers

Posted by & filed under Christian Benteke, David Villa, English Premier League News, English Premier League Opta Stats, English Premier League Stats, EPL, epl opta stats, EPL Stats, Leandro Damiao, Mario Gomez, opta, Opta Stats, Premier League, premier league opta stats, Roberto Soldado, Spurs, Spurs Stats, THFC, Tottenham Hotspur.

Tottenham Hotspur have needed a traditional number 9 striker since Dimitar Berbatov left for Manchester United in 2008. The likes of Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Emmanuel Adebayor have tried to fill the void Berbatov left, with only Adebayor and Defoe succeeding but the duo are not consistent enough. Spurs are looking to [...]

A Quintuplet of Options: Tottenham’s Quest for Strikers

EPL Opta Stats & Blog | eplindex.com – soccer stats – Our EPL Stats are Powered by Opta stats | English Premier League stats & blog | Subscribe to the EPL Stats Centre at eplindex.com

A way back for the winger? Creativity stats compared from 2010 to 2013

Posted by & filed under Arsenal (M), Arsenal (NN), Bale, Bale Opta Stats, Bale Stats, Chelsea, Creativity Stats, English Premier League Opta Stats, English Premier League Stats, EPL, EPL Index Featured Article, EPL Index Statistical Comparisons, epl opta stats, EPL Stats, Everton, Liverpool, Malouda, Malouda Opta Stats, Malouda Stats, Manchester City, Manchester Utd, Mata, Mata Opta Stats, Mata Stats, opta, Opta Stats, Premier League, Premier League Creativity Stats, premier league opta stats, Tottenham Hotspur, Walcott, Walcott Opta Stats, Walcott Stats.

As a football fan, there is nothing I enjoy more in the game than watching a winger go past their full back and then deliver a menacing cross into the box.  The Premier League has been blessed with some fantastic wingers or wide midfield players in it’s time, from Ryan Giggs to Gareth Bale, Marc [...]

A way back for the winger? Creativity stats compared from 2010 to 2013

EPL Opta Stats & Blog | eplindex.com – soccer stats – Our EPL Stats are Powered by Opta stats | English Premier League stats & blog | Subscribe to the EPL Stats Centre at eplindex.com

Experience v Progressive – Managers in the EPL | Stats Analysis

Posted by & filed under AFC, Arsenal (M), Arsenal (NN), AVFC, Chelsea, english Premier league, English Premier League Opta Stats, EPL, EPL Index Featured Article, EPL Index Statistical Comparisons, epl opta stats, EPL Stats, Everton, length of managerial career, LFC, Liverpool, Managerial Experience in the Premier League, Manchester City, Manchester Utd, NUFC, opta, Premier League Stats, Stoke City, Tottenham, Tottenham Hotspur, WBA.

At some stage, within every single club forum, there will be a comment that states “…we need an experienced manager” or a version thereof.  This got me thinking, and caused me to ponder a few questions: Does experience really matter when recruiting a manager? Are modern methods more relevant than experience? Does managerial performance improve with [...]

Experience v Progressive – Managers in the EPL | Stats Analysis

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A Tale of Two Halves: A season stats comparison of Lewis Holtby

Posted by & filed under Bundesliga Stats, English Premier League News, English Premier League Opta Stats, English Premier League Stats, EPL, EPL Opta Stats EPL Stats, Holtby Opta Stats, Lewis Holtby, Lewis Holtby Stats, opta, Opta Stats, premier league opta stats, Premier League Stats, Schalke, THFC. Lewis Holtby Opta Stats, Tottenham Hotspur.

After moving to Tottenham Hotspur from Schalke in January 2013, Lewis Holtby has spoken of his happiness in his half season at White Hart Lane, despite limited game time and not reaching the heights of his earlier half a campaign in the Bundesliga.     The all-action midfielder has admitted that  pre-season will be important for [...]

A Tale of Two Halves: A season stats comparison of Lewis Holtby

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Emmanuel Adebayor: Uninspired, or Misused?

Posted by & filed under Adebayor, Adebayor Opta Stats, Adebayor Stats, English Premier League Opta Stats, English Premier League Stats, EPL, EPL Index Featured Article, EPL Index Player Profiles, epl opta stats, EPL Stats, opta, Opta Stats, Premier League, premier league opta stats, Spurs, Spurs Opta Stats, Spurs Stats, Tottenham, Tottenham Hotspur, Tottenham Opta Stats, Tottenham Stats.

Emmanuel Adebayor frustrates most football watchers because there is always the feeling that he can be so much better than he is. That sounds odd to say about a person that has played for great sides in England, France, and Spain, scoring a goal around every third league appearance, but it’s true. The story goes [...]

Emmanuel Adebayor: Uninspired, or Misused?

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The Wanted Irishman: James McCarthy | Stats

Posted by & filed under Arsenal (M), Arsenal (NN), Chelsea, English Premier League News, English Premier League Opta Stats, English Premier League Stats, EPL, epl opta stats, EPL Stats, James McCarthy, James McCarthy Opta Stats, James McCarthy Stats, opta, Opta Stats, Premier League, premier league opta stats, Tottenham Hotspur, Wigan.

The former Hamilton Academical midfielder signed for Wigan Athletic back in 2009, relatively unknown to the English Premier League until the last few seasons, who has excelled for Roberto Martinez’s Wigan side, and is now reported to be subject to many Premier League teams sights after Wigan’s relegation at the hands of Arsenal at the [...]

The Wanted Irishman: James McCarthy | Stats

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From Fan Favourite to Twitter Scapegoat | Scott Parker Stats

Posted by & filed under English Premier League Opta Stats, English Premier League Stats, EPL, EPL Index Featured Article, epl opta stats, EPL Stats, opta, Opta Stats, Premier League, premier league opta stats, Scott Parker, Scott Parker Opta Stats, Scott Parker Stats, Spurs Stats, Tottenham Hotspur, Tottenham Stats.

Since Sandro Raniere was stretchered off against Harry Redknapp’s QPR in early January at Loftus Road, one Tottenham Hotspur midfielder has bore the brunt of criticism from Spurs fans when the team has not exceeded the fans expectations, this was a player that the majority of fans wanted when rumours surfaced that Tottenham were entering [...]

From Fan Favourite to Twitter Scapegoat | Scott Parker Stats

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The alternative Premier League tables | Possession, Chances Created, Shot Accuracy

Posted by & filed under AFC, Arsenal (M), Arsenal (NN), Arsenal Stats, AVFC, CFC, Chelsea, Chelsea Stats, efc, english Premier league, English Premier League Opta Stats, English Premier League Stats, EPL, EPL Index Featured Article, EPL Index Statistical Comparisons, epl opta stats, EPL Stats, Everton, Everton Stats, ffc, LFC, LFC Stats, Liverpool, Liverpool FC Stats, manchester united, Manchester Utd, MCFC, MUFC, NCFC, NUFC, opta, Opta Stats, Premier League, premier league opta stats, Premier League Stats, QPR, SAFC, scafc, SCFC, Spurs, Stats, Stoke City, Swansea City, THFC, Tottenham, Tottenham Hotspur, WAFC, WBA.

Ok so Manchester United won the Premier League, comfortably. There’s no denying the other teams just weren’t good enough, or weren’t consistent enough to seriously put up a challenge. But what got me thinking whilst trawling through all the stats, was what would the league table look like if it was sorted by different categories? [...]

The alternative Premier League tables | Possession, Chances Created, Shot Accuracy

EPL Opta Stats & Blog | eplindex.com – soccer stats – Our EPL Stats are Powered by Opta stats | English Premier League stats & blog | Subscribe to the EPL Stats Centre at eplindex.com

Premier League Managerial Changes: Do They Guarantee Success? Stats

Posted by & filed under Andre Villas-Boas, aston villa, Brendan Rodgers, CFC, Chelsea, Chelsea Stats, Chris Hughton, David Moyes, efc, english Premier league, English Premier League Opta Stats, English Premier League Stats, EPL, EPL Index Featured Article, EPL Index Statistical Comparisons, epl opta stats, EPL Stats, Everton Stats, Laudrup, Liverpool, manchester united, Norwich City, opta, Opta Stats, Paul Lambert, Pochettino, Premier League, premier league opta stats, Premier League Stats, Rafael Benítez, Southampton, Sunderland, Swansea City, Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion.

The twenty Premier League teams for next season are very close to being finalised, with the final place being decided this weekend in a £120m game between Crystal Palace & Watford.  Both clubs have had new managers in the last 10 months and both are (almost) reaping the rewards. This means that 15 of the [...]

Premier League Managerial Changes: Do They Guarantee Success? Stats

EPL Opta Stats & Blog | eplindex.com – soccer stats – Our EPL Stats are Powered by Opta stats | English Premier League stats & blog | Subscribe to the EPL Stats Centre at eplindex.com

Info-Graphic | Most Error Prone Teams in the Premier League 2012-13

Posted by & filed under Arsenal (M), Arsenal (NN), Chelsea, English Premier League Opta Stats, English Premier League Stats, EPL, EPL Index Featured Article, EPL Index Statistical Comparisons, epl opta stats, EPL Stats, Error Prone Teams, Errors committed in 2012-13 Premier League, Liverpool, Newcastle Utd, opta, Opta Stats, Premier League, Premier League 2012-13, premier league opta stats, QPR, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Wigan.

There are some surprises in the info-graphic below. You’d expect the relegation threatened teams to be the most error prone in the Premier League and whilst this is true in the case of Newcastle United (just about stayed up) and Wigan Athletic (relegated) there is a surprise appearance from Champions League qualifiers Arsenal. Arsenal have [...]

Info-Graphic | Most Error Prone Teams in the Premier League 2012-13

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Have Tottenham Improved Under AVB? Opta Stats Analysis

Posted by & filed under Andre Villas-Boas, AVB, English Premier League Opta Stats, English Premier League Stats, EPL, EPL Index Featured Article, EPL Index Statistical Comparisons, epl opta stats, EPL Stats, eplindex, opta, Opta Stats, Premier League, premier league opta stats, Premier League Stats, Spurs, THFC, Tottenham, Tottenham Hotspur, Tottenham Improved, Tottenham Opta Stats, Tottenham Stats.

Andre Villas-Boas has impressed this season, his debut as Tottenham manager, finishing on a record 72 points and taking Spurs to a Europa League quarter final. Spurs just missed out on Champions League qualification, finishing 1 point behind North Lond…

AVB highlights the importance of keeping Gareth Bale | Bale Stats

Posted by & filed under AVB, AVB Bale, AVB wants to keep Bale, Bale Opta Stats, Bale Stats, English Premier League News, English Premier League Opta Stats, English Premier League Stats, EPL, epl opta stats, EPL Stats, Gareth Bale, Gareth Bale Opta Stats, Gareth Bale Stats, opta, Opta Stats, Premier League, premier league opta stats, Tottenham Hotspur.

Andre Villas-Boas has made his and the Tottenham board’s intentions clear regarding Gareth Bale and the importance of keeping him at the club. Tottenham must keep Gareth Bale: this is not only the call from the manager but is also the general public consensus if Tottenham are to take the next step into the Champions [...]

AVB highlights the importance of keeping Gareth Bale | Bale Stats

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Who is the best Premier League right-back? | Stats Comparison

Posted by & filed under AFC, Arsenal (M), Arsenal (NN), aston villa, AVFC, Azpilicueta, Bacary Sagna, baggies, Bosingwa, boyce, BPL, Canaries, CFC, Chelsea, city, clyne, Coleman, danny simpson, demel, efc, english Premier league, English Premier League Opta Stats, English Premier League Stats, EPL, EPL Index Featured Article, EPL Index Statistical Comparisons, epl opta stats, EPL Stats, Everton, ffc, Fulham, full back, full backs, gardner, Glen Johnson, gunter, hammers, Johnson, Jones, Kyle Walker, latics, LFC, Liverpool, lowton, Man City, Man Utd., manchester, Manchester City, manchester united, Manchester Utd, martin, MCFC, MUFC, Nathaniel Clyne, Newcastle, Norwich, NUFC, opta, Opta Stats, pl, potters, Premier League, premier league opta stats, Premiership, QPR, Queens Park Rangers, Rafael, rangel, Reading, reither, RFC, Right Back, right backs, Sagna, Saints, SCFC, SFC, Shotton, Simpson, Southampton, Spurs, Stoke, Stoke City, Sunderland, swans, Swansea, THFC, toon, Tottenham, Tottenham Hotspur, United, Villa, WAFC, Walker, WBA, wbafc, west brom, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham, West Ham United, WHU, WHUFC, Wigan, Wigan Athletic, Zabaleta.

When you’re sitting in the pub with your mates, picking your favourites of the Premier League, the one position that has to be the hardest to choose a winner for is the right-back. It is not in any way as easy as left-back, with Ashley Cole usually taking that spot, and Leighton Baines coming through [...]

Who is the best Premier League right-back? | Stats Comparison

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Who should partner Rooney for England? Carroll, Sturridge, Defoe & Welbeck compared

Posted by & filed under Andy Carroll, Andy Carroll Stats, Daniel Sturridge, Daniel Sturridge Stats, Dann Welbeck Stats, danny welbeck, England, England Stats, English Premier League Opta Stats, English Premier League Stats, EPL, EPL Index Featured Article, EPL Index Statistical Comparisons, epl opta stats, EPL Stats, Jermaine Defoe, Jermaine Defoe Stats, LFC, Liverpool, manchester united, Manchester Utd, MUFC, opta, Opta Stats, Premier League, premier league opta stats, Roy Hodgson, Spurs, Spurs Stats, THFC, Tottenham Hotspur, Tottenham Stats, West Ham United, WHUFC.

England’s squad for their summer friendlies with the Republic of Ireland and Brazil were revealed yesterday and the one position that is up for debate more than any is the 2nd striker role. Although there is the possibility of Roy Hodgson only choosing one striker, having watched Hodgson in charge of West Brom last season [...]

Who should partner Rooney for England? Carroll, Sturridge, Defoe & Welbeck compared

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Belgian’s Taking over the EPL | Hazard, Dembele, Fellaini, Benteke et al Stats

Posted by & filed under Arsenal, aston villa, Benteke, Chelsea, Dembele, English Premier League Opta Stats, English Premier League Stats, EPL, EPL Index Featured Article, EPL Index Statistical Comparisons, epl opta stats, EPL Stats, Everton, Fellaini, Hazard, Kompany, Lukaku, Manchester City, Mignolet, Mirallas, opta, Opta Stats, Premier League, premier league opta stats, Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur, Vermaelen, Vertonghen, West Bromwich Albion.

The Belgians are coming, you have been warned. If we didn’t already know about the remarkable number of talented players coming out of Belgium in recent years we do now. Many people have already earmarked them as dark horses for next year’s World Cup with a view to them becoming genuine contenders for the European [...]

Belgian’s Taking over the EPL | Hazard, Dembele, Fellaini, Benteke et al Stats

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Chelsea 2 Tottenham 2: In-Depth Tactical Analysis

Posted by & filed under CFC, CFC 2 THFC 2 Tactical Analysis, Chelsea, Chelsea 2 Spurs 2 Tactical Analysis, Chelsea Tactical Analysis, English Premier League Opta Stats, English Premier League Stats, EPL, EPL Index Featured Article, epl opta stats, EPL Stats, EPL Tactical Analysis, EPLIndex Tactical Report, opta, Opta Stats, Premier League, premier league opta stats, Premier League Tactical Analysis, Spurs, Spurs Tactical Analysis, THFC, Tottenham Hotspur.

Stamford Bridge hosted Spurs this week where once again Benitez made his usual rotation, changing three players for this game compared to the XI starting at Old Trafford few days ago. Lampard gave way to Cahill, who slotted alongside Ivanovic in defence – Luiz was therefore pushed in midfield. Hazard returned to the starting XI [...]

Chelsea 2 Tottenham 2: In-Depth Tactical Analysis

EPL Opta Stats & Blog | eplindex.com – soccer stats – Our EPL Stats are Powered by Opta stats | English Premier League stats & blog | Subscribe to the EPL Stats Centre at eplindex.com

Juan Mata vs Gareth Bale Stats | Chelsea Vs Spurs Preview

Posted by & filed under AVB, Bale Opta Stats, Bale Stats, Benitez, CFC, Chelsea, Chelsea Opta Stats, Chelsea Stats, English Premier League Opta Stats, English Premier League Stats, EPL, EPL Index Featured Article, EPL Index Statistical Comparisons, epl opta stats, EPL Stats, Gareth Bale, Gareth Bale Opta Stats, Gareth Bale Stats, Juan Mata, Juan Mata Opta Stats, Juan Mata Stats, Mata Opta Stats, Mata Stats, opta, Opta Stats, Premier League, premier league opta stats, Spurs, Spurs Opta Stats, Spurs Stats, THFC, THFC Opta Stats, THFC Stats, Tottenham, Tottenham Hotspur.

Wednesday night sees what could well be the decisive match in the Premier League’s fascinating race for the Champions League spots. Tottenham finished two places above Chelsea last season but had to make do with Europa League football after the Blues’ Champions League triumph in Munich. This season the two have been locked in a [...]

Juan Mata vs Gareth Bale Stats | Chelsea Vs Spurs Preview

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Tottenham 1 Southampton 0 | In-Depth Tactical Analysis

Posted by & filed under Bale, Bale last gasp, Bale scores winner, Bale Stats, Bale winner, Clyne Stats, Cork Stats, Davis Stats, Dembele Stats, Dempsey Stats, Ekotto stats, English Premier League Opta Stats, English Premier League Stats, EPL, EPL Index Featured Article, epl opta stats, EPL Stats, EPLIndex Tactical Report, Huddlestone stats, jack cork, Lallana Stats, Lambert Stats, Lennon Stats, opta, Opta Stats, Premier League, premier league opta stats, Rodriguez Stats, Southampton, Spurs, Tottenham 1 Southampton 0 Indepth tactical analysis, Tottenham 1 Southampton 0 Match Report In-depth, Tottenham 1 Southampton 0 Tactical Analysis, Tottenham Hotspur, walker stats.

It was yet another glorious spring day and north Londoners Tottenham were hosting Southampton, in a bid to secure their position for a place in the Champions League.  Both teams had some key absentees and it was interesting to watch how both managers coped with them. For Tottenham Parker was injured and on top of [...]

Tottenham 1 Southampton 0 | In-Depth Tactical Analysis

EPL Opta Stats & Blog | eplindex.com – soccer stats – Our EPL Stats are Powered by Opta stats | English Premier League stats & blog | Subscribe to the EPL Stats Centre at eplindex.com