Manchester City could break Premier League record,Premier League stats: Prolific partners, goal droughts & possession problems,
1) Manchester City could break Premier League record
Manchester City and Manchester United have goal differences of +14 after five matches. That is more than Celtic in the Scottish Premier League, a division routinely mocked for being uncompetitive. If the Manchester clubs carry on winning by the margins they have enjoyed so far, then they will surpass the Premier League’s record goal difference (+71 racked up by Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea in 2009-10), the best ever mustered by Celtic (+80), the New Saints in Wales (+75) and the preposterous Ligue 1 record set by Paris Saint-Germain two years ago (+83). Of course that is a big ‘if’ because there is a small clutch of teams who could frustrate or even beat them. But United and, in particular, City are likely to ridicule many opponents this season. City beat United to the 2012 title on goal difference (+64 against +56); for José Mourinho there would surely be no sweeter way to prevail over Pep Guardiola this season. Paul DoyleNo possession, no problem
They say possession is ninth-tenths of the law, but that old adage meant little to Tottenham as they shared the points with visiting Swansea at Wembley.
It was Spurs who then-Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho accused of "parking the bus" back in 2004 when they forced a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge, but it was the Welsh side who rolled in the double deckers on Saturday - and to great effect.
Almost 40% of the game was played in the Swans' defensive third as they stopped Mauricio Pochettino's side from scoring at home in the Premier League for the first time in 30 games.
But Tottenham are not the only side to have enjoyed so much of the ball for so little reward. Just ask Liverpool.
| Most possession without winning in the Premier League | |
|---|---|
| 2016 - LIVERPOOL v Burnley (loss) | 80.4% |
| 2015 - MAN UTD v West Brom (loss) | 79.7% |
| 2013 - SOUTHAMPTON v Aston Villa (loss) | 78.8% |
| 2009 - LIVERPOOL v Birmingham (draw) | 78.6% |
| 2016 - MAN CITY v Leicester (loss) | 77.9% |
Mohamed Salah's smart finish proved the only time Liverpool could break through a resolute Clarets defence, despite having 35 shots on goal.
Only three times since Opta began recording stats in the 2003-04 season has a side had more shots and not won the game, with each ending in a draw.
Burnley make their way on to that list for a second time by virtue of frustrating Manchester United at Old Trafford when they soaked up 38 shots without conceding in October last year.
Premier League stats: Prolific partners, goal droughts & possession problems
Aguero and Jesus have scored nine times between them in the Premier League this season There is a new prolific Premier League strike partnership on the prowl. Manchester
City's free-scoring front men have started the season brilliantly - but
how do they compare to the deadliest partnerships in the history of the
league? In contrast, teams in London cannot find the net, while
the weekend games suggested that possession does not necessarily equal
points. BBC Sport analyses the most interesting statistics from the latest action in the Premier League.Can City slickers become top duo? With
the evolution of false nines, inverted wingers and hard-working solo
forwards, it appeared the days of traditional Premier League strike
partnerships were behind us. And when Gabriel Jesus arrived at
Manchester City from Palmeiras last season, Pep Guardiola said he
intended to play the young Brazilian in a wide role. But while the
20-year-old has since impressed his boss as a "nine", he has stiff
competition for that spot from Sergio Aguero, who has scored 175 goals since joining City in 2011. Guardiola's solution? Play them both. It has proved an inspired choice. "We scored a lack of goals last season so we thought that maybe they should play together," Guardiola told BBC Sport after his side hammered Watford 6-0 on Saturday, with Aguero netting a hat-trick and Jesus also on the scoresheet.
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