Liverpool’s goal difference, Spurs’ revival and Villa’s terrible record in March
Five stats about this weekend’s football
1. Ten days ago Manchester United’s goal difference was eleven goals superior to Liverpool’s, which was also worse than Chelsea’s. Over the course of just two games, there has been a 13-goal swing in Liverpool’s favour and the reigning champions now only have the league’s third-best goal difference.
2. Only once in the last ten years has the team with the best goal difference not won the league. That was in 2002-03 when Arsenal’s was superior to that of the champions Manchester United.
3. Tottenham’s six-match unbeaten league run is their strongest since the end of 2006-07, when they finished fifth. If they take a point at Blackburn in a fortnight it will be their longest since September-October 2005.
4. Aston Villa haven’t won any of their last fifteen March league matches. The good news for Martin O’Neill’s men - and consequently bad news for their next opponents Manchester United - is that Villa have gone unbeaten through April in four of the last five years.
5. But Fabio Capello has taken notice of Villa’s poor form. They provided six of the 23 players in his squad for the friendly against Spain but just two - Gareth Barry and Emile Heskey - have made it into the squad to face Slovakia and Ukraine. Manchester United (four), Chelsea (three) Everton (three), Portsmouth (three) and West Ham (three) all have more representatives.
Tags: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Blackburn, Chelsea, Emile Heskey, england, Everton, Fabio Capello, Football, Gareth Barry, Goal difference, Liverpool, Manchester United, March, Martin O'Neill, Portsmouth, Premier League, Slovakia, Spain, Squad, Tottenham, Ukraine, Unbeaten Run, West Ham
Posted: March 23rd, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | 
