Obviously very early on, but interesting to read: Queens Park Rangers will do well to be relegated from the Premier League this season if they continue to create chances at a rate that puts Liverpool and Man City in the shade. The Râs are currently 1/2 to make good upon their return to the top flight despite losing two of their first three games and having but a solitary Charlie Austin goal to their names. However, itâs not for want of imaginative resources, only Chelsea and Arsenal have created more scoring chances than Harry Redknappâs men in the top tier this term. In terms of key passes, only the Gunners are their superiors, having played 37 to the Loftus Road outfitâs 36 across the opening triptych. Meanwhile, if it wasnât already widely assumed, itâs key that their west London homestead will be the source of the majority of their points accumulation this year. Of the 36 chances theyâve crafted to date, all bar six were served up on on home soil, a whopping nine combined assists and key passes more than the next best Chelsea. At the centre of this hive of invention is one Joey Barton who, much like his team as a whole, is putting the leading creatives firmly in the shade from a statistical point of view. When it comes to top-flight key passes, Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez share second place in the current rankings with 10, or 3.3 per game. Barton has unleashed 12. He also puts that trio in the shade for accurate crosses (7) and long passes (20). It is of course necessary to question the finishing ability of the men all those chances have fallen to, with only one being converted, especially in the wake of the sale of Loic Remy. However, it remains very encouraging that last seasonâs Championship Play-off winners are making chances at such a rate. http://bwinbetting.com/leagues/premier-league/stats-say-qpr-creative-liverpool-man-city,60855.html
Another remarkable stat I read earlier. Have no idea if it's true or not. QPR have committed the fewest fouls per game in Europe's top 5 leagues this season (8) - 24 in total
Perhaps then we need to be getting stuck in a bit more, rather than allowing other teams, like Spurs, to dictate the run of play with all those free passes (46?) before scoring.
You didn't need stats to tell you that was true watching Spurs. FAR too much respect and not enough tackling.
Two things, we need to start converting chances into goals and start tackling a bit harder. Sandro should help give a bit more bite in the middle but the goals (or lack of) are a worry...