Why away teams are winning more in the Premier League this season: Only most clinical teams survive in counter-attack savvy top flight
West Ham have beaten Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City away from home this season, which is typical of a wider trend
You might not have noticed, but something strange is happening in the Premier League this season. All across the country, away teams are winning more frequently than home teams, and it’s stopping any single club from gathering maximum momentum.
Everton’s 3-2 win at West Brom on Monday was the 26th victory by the visiting side, while hosts have won just 24 fixtures. This pattern has kiboshed the belief that it’s hard to pick up points on the road and made the notion that home teams have an advantage look like a myth. That in turn is encouraging sides to be braver when playing away.
The psychological element is very important in football, yet there are also key tactical and personnel factors in operation. It’s no great secret that working hard in defence and breaking quickly works, but players now understand better how to play the counter-attacking 4-2-3-1 formation that has become de rigeur in the English top flight.
Better coaching may have contributed to that, and so has a higher quality of player. It’s no coincidence that the teams who have had the most success with this approach have bought well, and the vital attribute that scouts are increasingly being told to prioritise is pace. It is vital to this tactic, as it allows midfielders to break at speed and the formation to change from 4-5-1 to 4-2-3-1.
Manchester United top the Premier League after seven matches (Source: Getty)