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Head Start
New stats say it’s better than ever for Liverpool & Arsenal
It’s getting to that time of the season.
Yup. We’re at the business end of the season. Liverpool and Arsenal fans will soon be down to their last fingernail. Can they… will they… how will they... dethrone Manchester City?
Statistically speaking, this has been Pep’s worst managerial season based on non-penalty xG (NpxG)…
… as with Barca, Bayern and City, he’s never gone below the 1.0 NpxG mark.
But, this season, his side have dipped slightly below that mark…
ESPN
Yet, Arsenal’s NpxG has risen consistently to 1.13 this season and Liverpool have bounced up from 0.88 NpxG, compared to 0.58 NpxG last season.
So… the combination of City’s form dipping and their rival's form improving has meant that they’re now in a very competitive final stretch.
But why have City not improved like their rivals? Well, there are a few reasons…
Arsenal and Liverpool bolstered their side with key signings in the Summer window (think: Rice, Mac Allister, Endo)...
… City have not. Their singings Josko Gvardiol (€90m), Matheus Nunes (€62m), Mateo Kovacic (€29.1m) and Jérémy Doku (€60m) have had their moments, but haven’t replaced…
… two of last season’s pivotal players, Ilkay Gündogan and Riyad Mahrez.
Look, don’t count City out. There’s no doubt they’ll be looking to become the first team in history to win four Premier League titles in a row.
But… the stats say there’s never been a better time for either (1) Klopp to have a fairytale ending or (2) Arteta to lead Arsenal to their first league title in 20 years.
No pressure lads.
Plus…
Manchester United cancel credit cards of senior figures in a bid to cut costs (More)
Fulham boss Marco Silva substitutes three players within 33 minutes after going 2-0 down against Nottingham Forest (More)
Brighton recorded a £122.8 million profit - and the figures don’t include transfer fees received from Chelsea for Moises Caicedo and Robert Sanchez (More)