Although Bayern Munich were pushed all the way by Borussia Dortmund in...
That's the difference between him and someone like Cristiano Ronaldo -...
hat's the difference between him and someone like Cristiano Ronaldo - his body just...
anchester United are the only club with a decent academy and never just spend money...
Europe's elite club competition reaches it's climax at Wembley with Germany's top-two sides going head-to-head. Bayern Munich go in as odds-on favourites in 90 minutes but Jorgen Klopp's Dortmund have already dumped out Real Madrid and are 7/4 to lift the trophy.
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Who will be the next manager of Real Madrid? Carlo Ancelotti, Andre Villas-Boas and Michael Laudrup are among Sky Bet's front-runners.
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We're not talking set-piece specialists so there's no room for Juan Mata or Steven Gerrard. Top of the list is Luis Suarez but you might be shocked at who's at no 3)...
m absolutely disgusted that I've been misquoted in saying that if a chance came up to join Arsenal I would be interested. What I meant to say is if Man United or Chelsea were interested......
FC league positions and points from last 4 seasons - 7 (61), 8 (52), 6 (58), 7 (63). Werner calls it progress, I call it mid table stability.
s there a PR agency covering Begovich, Odemwingie, Steven Fletcher and Grant Holt or something? Why would you offer a quote like that without having been announced by either club. #headsshoulderskneesandtoesgone
Samir Nasri netted twice as Manchester City beat Chelsea 5-3 in the second match of the clubs' US double.
Spanish champions Barcelona have agreed the signing of Brazil striker Neymar from Santos.
Jurgen Klopp is backing Borussia Dortmund to reach another Champions League final despite their defeat to Bayern Munich.
That's the difference between him and someone like Cristiano Ronaldo - his body just isn't right. We have mails on him, Sparky, Brendan Rodgers and the Europa Lge...
Nice one UEFA, but not far enough. We have some ideas to make the Europa League better as well as more views on Wayne Rooney, Vermaelen in midfield and...
Comments 1 - 10 of (13)
HarryBoulton says...
I'm glad fictionalemu had his question answered because it's always been something that I never quite grasped, when people refer to "a chance". Now I know. It's a pass that leads to a shot. It doesn't surprise me that there are no United players in here. RvP takes more shots than he creates chances, and the support players around him have been chopped and changed all season anyway. Rooney's been in and out, as has Kagawa. Valencia, Young and Nani have had their worst seasons in living memory, so they've hardly been setting the world alight so far. When you think about it, given that so many of our attacking players have been tragically out of form or fitness, it's a miracle that we find ourselves 12 points clear.
Posted 8:20am 1st March 2013
Mulsey says...
odd to use the percantage of key passes as key passes vs accurate passes. It would be much more meaningful (still not very) to use attempted passes.
Posted 12:19am 1st March 2013
fictionalemu says...
@editor, thanks for the info. Have to admit, it just reinforces my belief that football isn't a game that can be easily (or at least usefully) broken down into stats. Unlike cricket or baseball, which are essentially a series of similar, one-off events with a relatively limited number of permutations that can be broken down and categorised, football is far more nebulous and harder to statistically analyse. For me, deciding the league's 'top creators' purely on the basis of how many of their passes have led to shots is, though not completely invalid, at least of extremely limited use.
Posted 5:48pm 28th February 2013
MCFC87 (Manchester City) says...
I remember Lambert against us (City) on the opening day of the season - absolute handful. Really enjoy watching him, and to be fair, Southampton too.
Posted 5:31pm 28th February 2013
sim2kuk (Southampton) says...
The only people who will be 'surprised' at Rickie Lamberts inclusion in this list are those that don't watch Southampton. As well as being our leading scorer for the last 4 years, he has had a massive influence assist wise: Based on League games 2009-2010 - 29 goals, 13 assists 2010-2011 - 21 goals, 13 assists 2011-2012 - 27 goals, 14 assists So far this season - 12 goals, 7 assists Someone remind me why he isn't playing for England please...
Posted 4:58pm 28th February 2013
wezmond (Manchester United) says...
More surprised there's no Mata than no United player, United's chances come from all over the pitch this year
Posted 2:53pm 28th February 2013
redgenesis (Manchester United) says...
It's interesting that there is no single main creative force in the United team, which definitely means more people are pulling the weight. However, is it only me that thinks creating just 2 or so real scoring chances per game is pretty poor for some of the world's best creative talents? I'm amazed... assuming we all play to our respective levels, i'd be disappointed if I didn't create at least 4/5 shooting chances per game on a weekend.
Posted 2:37pm 28th February 2013
gbbcdl (Watford) says...
No united player shows the strength of the squad or is that a lack of quality from them?
Posted 2:27pm 28th February 2013
Editor says ...
It mostly shows that they score a lot of goals from set-pieces.
fictionalemu says...
I've always wondered, what is a 'chance created'? How is it defined and who judges it? A 'chance' seems like such a vague concept. I assume you mean a 'chance' to score a goal, but a goal can be scored from anywhere on the pitch, so where do you draw the line? Also, if a player puts a dangerous cross into the six-yard box that should be gobbled up by a striker, but said striker has been too slow in movement or thought to get on the end of it, does that count as a chance created? Or is it only a chance if the ball actually gets to a striker? If anyone behind this article, or a reader more versed in such things than me, could explain, I'd be very grateful.
Posted 1:40pm 28th February 2013
Editor says ...
It's a slightly flawed stat in that it counts passes that lead to shots - so no, a ball across the box is not counted. It's a good indication of creativity but clearly should be taken with the caveats you mentioned.
hump3 (Ipswich Town) says...
Infamy, infamy, 365 has it infamy. Would no Man U players being included demonstrate a beter unity and balance of the team as a whole. Like a regular commenter, more Synergy?
Posted 12:24pm 28th February 2013