Spurs Thwarted By Opposition Goalkeeper

Using ‘shots on target’ rather than goals as our key metric, we analyse recent Premier League fixtures to see if the scorelines were a fair reflection of the game.

19 January 2013

Source: whoscored.com
Negative numbers = away team supremacy

Spurs bring out the best in goalkeepers
For the second week in a row Tottenham were denied by the opposition goalkeeper. This time it was David De Gea’s turn to frustrate the Spurs faithful just as Julio Cesar had done the week before.

The shots on target count was 8-2 in favour of Tottenham, usually enough to win the match 2-0. Although it must be noted that United have the most clinical strikers in the league, so probably merited one goal.

The difference between the sides was David De Gea. He was United’s joint-top rated player according to whoscored.com and his mark of 7.6 was his third highest this season.

Tottenham are 20/23 (Betvictor) to continue their fine run of form by beating Norwich in their next match. Whilst Southampton might fancy their chances at 14/1 (Stan James) to beat United at Old Trafford next Wednesday.

Alternative Form Table

Wigan Better Than Results
Wigan slipped into the relegation places at the weekend but their recent performances should give Roberto Martinez hope that he can pull off another great escape.

Wigan have enjoyed more possession, more total shots and more shots on target than the opposition in both their last two games. Their performances statistically merited six points but they got only one.

A possible explanation is the fall-off in form of goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi. Three of his last four performances have earned ratings below six, according to whoscored.com, amongst his worst of the season. This might just be a blip but his seasonal averages suggest a decline.

Season’s Average Rating
2010/11 = 6.69
2011/12 = 6.58
2012/13 = 6.36

Wigan are 3/1 (Paddy Power) to beat Stoke in their next Premier League fixture but they might need to score twice if they keep conceding goals.