IN CONJUNCTION WITH international week, the folks at Opta Sports have looked at how the Premier League sides would fare if only goals from English players counted.
And their research has led to some intriguing findings. 36 of Liverpool’s 73 goals (with Daniel Sturridge contributing well over half, unsurprisingly) have been scored by English players, meaning they lead the table by some distance.
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Meanwhile, actual leaders Chelsea are several places below them in sixth, while fellow title contenders Manchester City are all the way down in the relegation zone, with just one of their 69 goals scored by an English player (James Milner in their 4-2 victory away at Fulham).
Such a study is always going to be somewhat misleading though. For instance, the contribution of City’s English goalkeeper Joe Hart — to cite one example — will inevitably be downplayed to an extent, given that the study favours goalscorers rather than stoppers.
That said, the findings remain an intriguing insight into the decreasing influence of domestic players in the Premier League.
Here's how the Premier League table would look if only goals by English players counted
IN CONJUNCTION WITH international week, the folks at Opta Sports have looked at how the Premier League sides would fare if only goals from English players counted.
And their research has led to some intriguing findings. 36 of Liverpool’s 73 goals (with Daniel Sturridge contributing well over half, unsurprisingly) have been scored by English players, meaning they lead the table by some distance.
Meanwhile, actual leaders Chelsea are several places below them in sixth, while fellow title contenders Manchester City are all the way down in the relegation zone, with just one of their 69 goals scored by an English player (James Milner in their 4-2 victory away at Fulham).
Such a study is always going to be somewhat misleading though. For instance, the contribution of City’s English goalkeeper Joe Hart — to cite one example — will inevitably be downplayed to an extent, given that the study favours goalscorers rather than stoppers.
That said, the findings remain an intriguing insight into the decreasing influence of domestic players in the Premier League.
Image used with permission from Opta Sports.
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