So far this season there have been 438 goals in the Premier League, and we’re not even half way through. If this scoring trend were to continue throughout the season then that would leave us with around 1,100 goals, which would be a new record. In fact the defensive side to our teams just seems to be having a bit of a shocker all round really. Last year’s fad was snoods, this year it’s to have a leaky defence. And this fashion isn’t confined to the lower teams either.
When was the last time you saw Arsenal concede eight in one game, or Man Utd concede six or Chelsea concede five at home? What is it about our league that has suddenly invited upon itself the desire to attack without inhibition and allow our defences to bear the brunt of the consequences? Is it lesser players, or a change in tactics, new strikers in the league or are the referees playing their part too?
Tactics
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Obviously tactics play a part; in particular Andre Villas-Boas and Arsene Wenger are guilty of ignoring the defensive side to their jobs. Admittedly both have improved recently but Andre Santos’ admission that he had never spoken to Wenger about his defending is a worrying indictment of the way Arsenal football club is managed. Sure, Pat Rice handles the defensive side to the team but it would be reassuring for Arsenal fans to at least know that Wenger was playing some role in the defensive coaching of his side. To be fair to Wenger his side’s defensive performances this year are much better than last year and with the return of Thomas Vermaelen they look far more sturdy. Similarly with Villas-Boas despite his defensive struggles as he adapts to life in the Premier League the last two games have proved that his side are making progress.
However whilst there is some debate as to whether the top English clubs are not as good as they once were, the other argument is that the lower teams have got better. What this means is that firstly any team feels like they can beat any other, which lends itself to more attacking play and therefore more goals scored and conceded. It also means that because life at the bottom of the table is so tight a points total of around 40 come the end of the season may no longer be enough to keep your side up. This means that the lower teams have to take more risks against the bigger clubs in order to stay ahead of their rivals.
The priemership is going through transitional phase