Football is all about opinions and that is one of the main reasons why we all love it so much. You can spend hours debating one topic without a definitive yes or no answer. But when it comes to any pundit or commentator, they can rarely express opinion and so they stick to the stats; something that does not always give the correct answer.
The people who are employed to analyse the game often get hooked up on figures that someone has told them in their earpieces, but that is very rarely reflected of what everyone else has seen. Quite often statistics are used to show which team had the better of the game whether it be possession, shots on target, corners etc.
For example last night at Stamford Bridge I think it is fair to say Chelsea played a lot better than they have done for the majority of the season, comfortably easing past the third best Spanish team, Valencia 3-0. Didier Drogba returned to his powerfully brilliant best and Andre Villas-Boas silenced the critics somewhat. However, Valencia must have been the better side as they had 59% of possession during the game and also had more through balls and corners. That is prime example of where stats do not show the real picture of a game and yet some people will argue that they do.
Another example is that Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm has made the most saves out of anyone in the Premier League so far this season, so does that make him the best goalkeeper in the league. No. It could mean that his defence is poor and that Swansea are team that will always be attacked in the league. Vorm has to make a lot more saves than someone like Joe Hart at Manchester City because of the dominance they have.
Luka Modric was apparently worth a £40million bid in the summer from Chelsea to help the Blues’ attacking options. Thomas Vermaelan has scored 10 Premier League goals in 45 games, compared to Modric who has also scored 10 goals, but in 100 Premier League games. That stat would suggest that if Chelsea wanted to boost their attacking options, buy Arsenal’s centre back. Ridiculous I know, but some people I guarantee will take that statistic seriously.
Finally, I don’t think many people would suggest that Bolton defender David Wheater is the dirtiest player in the Premier League but averaging a red card every 261 minutes this season, which is worse than a red card in every three games, that is that now a fact!
Some people will get carried away with numbers but they do not always reflect what is happening on the pitch. The one statistic that really matters is the goals and it doesn’t matter if the other team had more of the ball or shots on target, if you win, that’s enough. Opinions are what it is all about and numbers on the screen after the game will not answer all the questions and debates that occur every week in pubs around England. The pundits don’t always know what they are talking about and we regular fans can see through any information that is irrelevant.
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