How Less Passes have improved Liverpool this season
Liverpool’s style of football has changed this season.
They’ve gone from making around 548 passes per game, to around 517 passes per game.
Whilst there’s only a difference of 31 passes, it’s a metric that has seen them improve as a team this season.
What does it suggest?
In short, it suggests that Liverpool have been more direct in their attacking play.
Compared to last year’s total of 5.6 shots on target per match and average of 1.8 goals per match, the difference is stark and evidences our suggestion nicely.
This year, Liverpool average around 7.0 shots on target per match and average around 2.6 goals per match also.
What else has improved?
Perhaps the most mesmerising stat that Liverpool have improved upon is the metric known as big chances created. According to Opta, this refers to “a situation where a player should be expected to score.”
Last year (2020/2021), Liverpool created a very impressive 82 big chances in 38 Premier League games. For context, Manchester City won the league, scored the most goals and had a total of 79 big chances created - 3 less than Liverpool that season.
Fast forward to this year’s Premier League campaign, in which Liverpool find themselves 25 matches deep (as of February 21st 2022), and they look as though they will massively improve on that previously high big chances created metric of 82.
In 25 Premier League games, they have created 72 big chances - a metric that see’s them rank 1st with no close second. Manchester City sit well behind them with 59 big chances created, with the Citizens then followed by Manchester United who sit in 3rd place for big chances created with 52.
It’s also worth noting that Liverpool have improved in the majority of their defensive metrics as well.
Though, there is no direct link between the improvement of their defence and the amount of passes per game. This is of course due to passes being part of the in-possession phase and not the out-of-possession phase.
Notable info:
- Stats as per Opta
- Recorded on Feb 21st 2022
- 25 games into Liverpool’s Premier League season
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