Mauricio Pochettino says data confirms Chelsea should have been fourth in the Premier League table
Mauricio Pochettino feels Chelsea will be in the top four according to data, though the Blues are currently 11th in the table and have endured a poor campaign so far despite changes in management and a spending outlay going over £1b.
However, the Blues’ chances of winning silverware could come through the FA Cup, as they are in the semi-final of the competition and face Manchester City. What the Argentine has said is actually true, and data shows that the West Londoners are fourth for expected goal difference per game, at 0.36, with 50.64 xG for and 40.88 xG against in 27 games. Their actual goal difference is +2 (47-45), which is 0.07 per game.
Meanwhile, on other metrics such as goals, shots, shots on target, possession, passes, touches, touches in the opposition box, expected goals for and against, and big chances, Chelsea rank lower than fourth.
Taking this into account, the Argentine manager commented on Blues data and feels Chelsea should be fourth in the league. Speaking to the media ahead of the Burnley match, he said via BBC:
“If you look at all the data in the table, we should be in fourth place. But for different reasons, we are not there.’’
Pochettino’s comment is absolutely spot on because he understands that although we have played well this season, we have struggled to win games because of our inconsistency on the field. In contemporary sports, games are now determined by data, and even in cases where the opposition wins despite playing poorly, the data will indicate which team should have won. This is the case with us.
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The statistics provided above show how good we have been, but a big issue has been that we haven’t been able to put it into practice, which has caused us to struggle to win matches. We have performed admirably in domestic cup tournaments, but we have found it difficult to win games in the league. If we win the remaining games, though, we still have time to guarantee our place in Europe.