Stats are for tools who use them to analyse games and performancies! they may show that Lallana and balotelli got little of the ball, what they don`t show is why. Were they cut out of the game by a good defence, were the people making the passes piss poor, did they produce enough movement to create space, was your midfield lacking imagination/creativity. Stats only show a very limited portion of the truth.
Aye they do so - very limited - that's the best use for them. And I did attach a limited meaning to the one I provided - didn't claim that the stat meant any more than "lallana & Balo saw little of the ball".
As for the reasons why... I suppose it is a mix of bad set up, bad width, good Villa defence, wrong players in wrong positions, little fluency/chemistry/speed of play...


