Statistical Analysis of Top teams in Europe - Goals breakdown

 Our team at Fifth Official thought that as the International break is going on, it is best we made some fruitful use of our time and provide our followers with something to think about before the League action starts again!

As the 2012-13 season comes to an end and while many of the Leagues are a foregone conclusion with the leaders taking an insurmountable lead, we decided to take a look at the goal scoring break-up for teams (between forwards, midfielders and defenders)  and identify anything peculiar or surprising.

While our study reveals some facts which is known to everybody and is quite evident, some surprising numbers have also sprung up which might change one’s perspective with respect to a team/player.

So here is the data table which has been compiled. It consists of –

1.       Total goals scored by the team (TG)

2.       Total goals scored by Forwards and as a % of TG

3.       Total goals scored by Midfielders and as a % of TG

4.       Total goals scored by Defenders and as a % of TG

5.       Total goals scored by the team’s Top-scorer so far and as a % of TG

This has been done for the top teams in Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga. Have a look – 

(% in Red indicates the Top-3 in that category)

So, first, let us look at those facts which are not so surprising and were expected beforehand – 

1.       60% of Chelsea’s goals in the season have come from midfielders. This is obvious because of Torres and Ba’s continued struggle to find form and also the fact that Chelsea play only with 1 striker upfront. Whereas when we look at Manchester United who always play 2 strikers upfront, naturally their % of goals scored from Forwards (61%) is very high. Add to that Mata and Hazard’s scintillating form, the 60% goals scored by midfielders for Chelsea is not surprising at all.

2.       The above argument applies to Tottenham as well. 57% of goals from midfield is due to Gareth Bale’s high flying form and also vital contribution from the likes of Dempsey and Lennon. Also, their % of goals scored by defenders is 16% which is 2^nd best amongst the top teams due to Vertonghen and Caulker’s physical presence in the box during set-pieces.

3.       43% of Barcelona’s goals have come from their Top-scorer Lionel Messi. This clearly goes to show how over-reliant they are on Messi. David Villa’s arrival back from injury couldn’t have come at a better time for Barcelona.

4.       All three German teams have a very high % of goals scored by midfielders, inspite of the fact that their top-scorer is their striker. This only shows how the German clubs play football, with the entire team being involved in the attack (More like Total Football)

Now let us turn our attention to some surprising facts that have come out from this study – 

1.       Only 25% of Manchester United’s goals have been scored by Van Persie, the team’s top goal scorer. This is completely contradictory to the claims made by some that Manchester United are a one-man team.

2.       A look at the % goals scored by defenders for English teams (14%,11%,19%,16%) is the amongst the highest when compared to the other leagues. This clearly shows the physicality of the English game compared to other leagues. 

3.       19% of the goals scored by Chelsea in the season have come from defenders which is pretty impressive. 

4.       Napoli are hugely dependent on Edinson Cavani, with 45% of their goals coming from the Uruguayan hitman. If they are to play in Europe next season, Cavani cannot be their only source of goals.

What clubs can look to learn from these stats – 

1.       Manchester United and Manchester City need to improve on their goal contribution from midfield, which is currently only 25% and 31%.

2.       Tottenham and Chelsea have a disappointing 27% and 21% of their goals scored from forwards, which is certainly a cause for concern. 

3.       The % goals scored by defenders for Italian teams (9%,5%,3%) is disappointingly low and is something which the Italian clubs can improve on. Perhaps, more tactical work on their attacking set-pieces.

4.       Spanish teams have a high % of their goals scored by their top-scorer which clearly highlights their over – reliance on Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Radamel Falcao.

We will be coming up with much more statistical analysis like this in the future, in which we will concentrate on a particular team/player!

Hope this was an eye-opener for you! Until then, enjoy the international break!

-Ratish