The early match on the last Saturday of 2013 will be remembered for being the
Nicolas Anelka Celebration game.
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because the contest, which ended 3-3 between West Ham and West Brom, was a
highly entertaining affair. The first half alone gave all us all three possible
result scenarios alone - draw, home team leading, away team leading. West Brom
began the second half in the lead. Finally. Anelkas second goal of the contest
in the 45th minute gave the Baggies their first lead in over a month. They coped
with this well and looked the better team as the game came close to its final
third but, suddenly, West Ham grabbed an unlikely equalizer. At 2-2, West Brom
restarted the match stunned that they had allowed another lead to slip. They had
not won a Premier League match for eight weeks, despite having been in front
against Chelsea and Aston Villa. Here they were again, collapsing when they
should have been at their best. Seconds after the restart, West Ham had the ball
again. One minute and 55 seconds later they were ahead 3-2. Two minutes after
that West Brom were back level having played more direct and determined, once
they were losing, than they did when they were in front and, most certainly,
level. We do not hear often about a teams performance relevant to the scoreline
within the game. Football matches come and go, usually thought of directly by
the final scoreline that gave the game its master title. How a team got to the
victory can be watched on highlight shows but usually by the next day, and
definitely by the next week, most people judge a team by whether or not they won
a match. However, watching how a team responds when they have taken the lead is
fascinating. Earlier this season I wrote a column on this site about how hard it
is for a Premier League club to win when trailing 1-0, which included this stat:
Last season in the Premier League, there were 33 matches that ended scoreless,
and, subsequently, 347 occasions when a team took a 1-0 lead. The minute in
which the goals were scored matters, of course, but of those 347 1-0 leads, only
54 times did those leads give the winning team no points. This means a team who
took a 1-0 lead, had a 84.4 per cent chance of not losing the match.How a team
plays when they are winning is essential for success. Last season, Chelsea had
two different managers, two different identities but the exact same problem.
Jose Mourinho speaks of that side like a rude, uncomfortable in-law. When he is
asked of them, his face turns sour, he looks disgusted and bemused at what they
were. Chelsea finished a distant third last season but led in 1,417 Premier
League minutes, second only to champions Manchester United. In fact, these two
teams were the only teams to lead in over a third of their minutes last season
(1,140 minutes). Yet, when the Blues were in front, they were far from automatic
winners. They were everything Mourinho believes a side shouldnt be, surrendering
an incredible 14 leads. Manchester United and Manchester City gave away leads
just six times all season, Arsenal eight times. Chelsea played over 330 more
minutes in the lead of matches than City but still couldnt beat them in the
table, giving away 17 points from winning positions. They lost the league by 14
points.A statistical look at teams in winning positions in 2013-14It is not
exactly the halfway stage in the season but, with the FA Cup played last
weekend, it feels like it. All teams have now played exactly 20 matches, and all
have 18 to go. In total, 200 Premier League games have been played, resulting in
153 wins and 47 draws. All teams have played 1,800 Premier League minutes (*
injury time in each half is counted as 45 and 90). Although only two teams led
for over a third of their season last year, currently five teams are above this
threshold in 2013/14.The fab fiveManchester City 949 mins (52.7 per cent)
Liverpool - 911 mins (50.6) Arsenal - 779 mins (43) Chelsea - 681 mins (38)
Manchester Utd - 606 mins (33.7) Uniteds low placement obviously stands out but
it is actually surprising that they are on this list at all, given that they
have only taken the lead 13 times so far this season. Here is a look at the
amount of leads teams from this group have taken so far: Manchester City - 21
Chelsea - 19 Arsenal - 18 Liverpool - 17 Manchester United - 13 To lead often
can lead to more opportunities to surrender such leads and it is interesting to
see Chelsea still having issues in this area under Mourinho.Leads
surrendered:Chelsea (7) - The Blues have given up the most amount from this
group but have also gotten the most back, claiming an impressive five wins back
from the seven surrendered (71 per cent). This continues to go against Mourinhos
philosophy and it is interesting to watch his team improve in this area as the
season has gone on. Man City (6) - Manuel Pellegrinis side have turned 50 per
cent of these scenarios back into three points with the three games they failed
in all coming before the end of October. Liverpool (5) - The Reds have had a
very successful season so far but with just one lead recovery from a possible
five attempts, they are becoming known as a momentum team who struggle to
wrestle the game back their way when the other team is on top. Arsenal (4) - The
Gunners have a very impressive record of surrendering just four of 18 leads so
far and those four include two more lead recovery wins, meaning the only game,
since the opening day loss to Aston Villa, they failed to win when leading was
the home game against Everton. Man Utd (3) - United have the least amount of
leads surrendered because they have only led 13 times. While the other four have
at least 12 games where they have led, kept the lead, and won, United have just
10. This is down to their inability to score early. Only five times this season
have they scored the games opening goal before the 45th minute and gone on to
win the game. They did it 16 times in 2012-13. Last season, United got a lot of
headlines for their ability to claim points while behind but what went under the
radar was their ruthlessness when leading. They were ahead in 31 Premier League
matches last season, going on to win 28 and draw three. Quite simply, the moment
they got anywhere close to leading, they believed they would win. This season,
United remain unbeaten when they are leading but their biggest problem has been
the lack of time spent in front. Their current average of 33.7 per cent is a
massive drop off from the 48.2 per cent they achieved last season. This has
allowed doubts to creep in, taking away their confidence and handing other teams
more opportunities (i.e. time) to take advantage of United when the game is
scoreless. The three draws from winning positions last season meant United
dropped just six points from winning positions in 38 matches (Swansea, Tottenham
and WBA all away). It is no wonder a team that led in 1,647 Premier League
minutes dominated so much. Points dropped from winning positions this
season:Liverpool (10) - Second with 911 minutes led, this is why the Reds are
not higher in the table, particularly the three points each they handed recently
to Chelsea and Man City when they were winning 1-0 in both games. Man City (6) -
These all came before the end of September, with losses at Cardiff and Aston
Villa. Chelsea (5) - West Brom and Stoke were able to overturn deficits to earn
points against Mourinhos men who would be at six if it wasnt for referee Andre
Marriners decision to allow a late penalty to give them a 2-2 draw against the
Baggies. Arsenal (5) - As stated above, these came in home games to Aston Villa
and Everton. Man Utd (4) - David Moyes saw his side surrender leads against
Southampton at home and at Cardiff (twice), forcing them to accept draws instead
of wins.Best of the rest - Percentage of time spent winning this seasonNewcastle
- 595 mins (33.1 per cent) - Alan Pardews men just miss out on the top category
down to total minutes led but surpass Manchester United in other categories. The
Magpies have taken the lead 17 times this season (tied for fourth). The high
number is reached because they have surrendered seven of those leads but went on
to claim four lead recovery victories (57 per cent), which has helped them get
to 595 minutes. Incredibly, they need to lead for just 29 more minutes this
season to pass their entire total from last season. Tottenham - 528 mins (29.3)
- Spurs are also tied for fourth having taken the lead 17 times this season but,
because they have struggled to score goals, many of their games (like Man Utd)
have seen them take the lead late, meaning they have been unable to show they
can keep a lead for a long time. They have only won four matches when they have
scored the games opening goal in the first half. Hull City - 441 mins (24.5) -
This is why Steve Bruces side are in the top half. It is also why he thinks his
team should be higher than 10th. Their fast starts in matches have given them a
real opportunity to play a lot of games in front. Over a halfway through the
season, the Tigers have more first half minutes led than Manchester United
(167-161). It says a lot about the champions but also quite a bit about the
newly promoted side who know early leads are the key to their success. They have
led 11 times, given up five and only got one lead recovery win but that was a
special one for Hull, beating Liverpool 3-1. Southampton - 437 mins (24.3) -
Despite their high position on this list, and in the league table, the Saints
have taken the lead (eight times) no more than the likes of Crystal Palace and
Sunderland. Yet, when they do get in front, they do tend to hold on to leads and
that is a good thing because in the two matches they surrendered leads in, they
actually went on to lose, albeit against tough opposition in Chelsea and
Tottenham. Everton - 429 mins (23.8) - This is a fascinating case study. Everton
sit fifth in the table, having won exactly 50 per cent of their games this
season (10 of 20) but have led in less than a quarter of their season, placing
them 10th on this list. They are tied for fourth with 17 leads but, like
Newcastle, have given up seven leads and gained four lead recovery wins (57 per
cent). No team in the league has spent more time drawing in games than Everton,
at a rate almost two thirds of their minutes played, and it has been their
ability to stay in games that has allowed them to do their damage late in
matches, picking up points while not spending too much time in front. Ten first
half goals compared to 22 in the second half tells the story. Norwich City - 385
mins (21.4) - It may not be as interesting as Everton, but for a team to lead in
just eight games, give up three leads and claim none of them back, Chris
Hughtons side have done well to get above 21 per cent in minutes led so far
(last season they finished on 18.3 per cent). Hughton preaches a need for his
defence to be solid and with leads lasting 77, 68, 60 and 56, so far this
season, it shows the Canaries play confident when they get ahead early. Stoke
City - 370 mins (20.6) - The above description could be assigned to Stoke teams
of the past but their identity is changing under Mark Hughes. Stoke have led as
many times as Manchester United (13) this season but have been unable to hold
leads, giving up 12 points from winning positions already this season.
Continuing with their evolution theme, they have managed to score more goals
which has helped them claim three lead recovery victories. Swansea City - 291
mins (16.1) - There is a significant drop-off between Stoke and Swansea and this
reflects the struggles for Michael Laudrups team in front of goal this campaign.
Swansea led in 22.7 per cent of their season in 2012-13 but are almost two hours
behind that pace this season, taking just eight leads on the season, while
giving four of them back. In truth, they are fortunate to be this high.
Alarmingly over half of their time winning games came in two matches, wins at
West Brom and Crystal Palace back in September. West Ham - 290 mins (16.1) -
West Ham have led more times than Swansea (10) but are tied for the league lead
in wins surrendered with seven. They play nervous when they lead because they
know they dont have the firepower to kick on. The team cannot score enough goals
to recover from those blows, coming back to gain just two lead recovery wins (29
per cent), meaning they are top of the table no team wants to be - 14 points
lost from winning positions. Sunderland - 282 mins (15.7) - The Black Cats have
four games this season where the minutes led was 50 or more and they won just
two of them. They have led eight games but given up five leads and have lost 11
points from winning positions. West Brom - 281 mins (15.6) - Last season, they
led in over 25 per cent of their season but now two games are responsible for
half of West Broms minutes led. One of those, when they led Aston Villa for 70
minutes, wasnt even a victory, one of five leads given up, with just two being
recovered into wins. Fulham - 271 mins (15.1) - For the final 485 minutes of
Martin Jols reign, Fulham led for exactly zero minutes. Under Rene Meulensteen,
they have led in four of their last seven games, holding the lead for good in
each of their last three. Fulham are traditionally terrible the moment they go
behind, so they must start games better and the new manager has already improved
that key area. Aston Villa - 270 mins (15) - Only twice this season have Villa
led in a game for longer than 33 minutes - at Norwich and Sunderland. Their
leads against Swansea and Sunderland over the festive period took their
percentage from a dismal 10.8 per cent to a less dismal 15 per cent, which is
still a far cry from the 23 per cent rate they finished last season with. They
sit 11th but unless they can start playing better when they are ahead, a drop
down the table looks likely. Crystal Palace - 246 mins (13.7) - Under Ian
Holloway in the first eight games, Palace led for just 105 minutes, conceding 19
goals. Tony Pulis has now been in charge for eight games and has tightened up
their defence, conceding just a goal per game, while finding a way to get leads.
Four of their eight leads have come since Holloway departed and each one of them
has turned into a win. Cardiff City - 204 mins (11.4) - Much was made about the
great job Malky Mackay did for Vincent Tan but when he departed after 18 games,
his team had led in just 7.4 per cent of their season. A lead for 84 minutes
over Sunderland followed, until the visitors scored an equalizer in the last
minute. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a bigger job on than many seen to think. Later
this week, I will have Part II on this study - a statistical look at how Premier
League teams perform when they are losing.
Puma Rihanna Slippers .Then came
December.Three straight losses, including a crushing 27-24 defeat to Washington
(4-11) on Saturday, has the Eagles (9-6) on the brink of playoff elimination.
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actually — Joel-Hans Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) July 22, 2014There is no confirmation
that the date is actually happening, but that didnt stop Embiid from getting
dressed up. Fresh cut..... Getting ready for dinner http://t.co/NNIfKyZQzx —
Joel-Hans Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) July 23, 2014 Almost 930..JOHANNESBURG - George
Coetzee came from four shots back to win the Joburg Open and his first European
Tour title with a final-round 6-under 66 on Sunday — and claimed an added bonus
by qualifying for the British Open. Coetzees finish, with six birdies and no
bogeys, took him to 19-under 268 overall and past South African compatriots
Thomas Aiken and Justin Walters, the overnight co-leaderss.
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Creepers. Coetzee was flawless on the East Course at Royal
Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club to clinch his maiden title after 24 top 10
finishes. He won by three shots from Englands Tyrrell Hatton (66), South Koreas
Jin Jeong (71) and Walters (73), who needed an eagle on the last to take Coetzee
to a playoff and made bogey instead. Aiken was tied for fifth on 15 under.
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