Chelsea have won the title, the first side to win 30 games in a 38-game-season, beating
the previous record of 29 set by Chelsea in 2004/05
and 2005/06.
In the end, their 2.45 points per game showed only a 0.01 points per game dip from their
form up to 28 games played, a remarkable level of consistency and the second highest points
total in the Premier League era, two behind Jose Mourinho’s 2004/05 Chelsea side, who
managed 95, and the best in the last ten years by some distance.
Once again, Spurs have had the best goal difference in the league but not won the title – this
has happened eight times now since 1992/93, and last season Spurs were two goals better
than Leicester; indeed, Spurs are the only side in the Premier League era to twice have
recorded a higher goal difference than the Champions in a season, and yet never won a
Premier League title.
In 2015/16, only one team in the top 11, Stoke City who finished 9 th , had a negative goal
difference: By contrast, only the top seven this season
had a positive goal difference.
Interestingly, the average goal difference of the top six in both years is markedly different.
In 2015/16, the average goal difference of the
top six was plus 26.2.
In 2016/17, the average goal difference of the top six was plus 41.2.
Similarly, the average points tally of the top six is ten points higher:
2015/16 saw an average points’ total for the top six of 69.5, whereas this season’s
average points total for the top six was 79.5.
Chelsea have achieved 12 points more than last
season’s Champion Leicester City, and this season’s Spurs tally would have been enough
to win the league last year too; indeed, the
teams who finished 3 rd to 5 th this season would
have won enough points to finish second last season.
All this suggests less that this season’s sides were better, but more that there was
a greater difference between the top six or seven sides
and the rest in this year’s league than last year.
The gap might be widening.
That’s not to say the league was a goal fest for everyone.
While it is true that the average goals per game rose to 2.80 from the last
two seasons’ 2.57 and 2.70, and was almost the
highest ever in the Premier League era, 2.81 in 2011/12, two teams this season recorded
seven 0-0 draws.
Indeed, this is the first season since 1998/99 that more than one team
recorded seven or more 0-0 draws, with the league record nine 0-0s in one season.
While lacklustre ‘Boro won’t be a surprise presence in this list, scoring only 27 goals,
the lowest in the league this season, Southampton
struggled too.
They scored 41 goals, joint 14 th lowest in the league, but their shot conversion
rate of 7.45% was the lowest in the league.
‘Boro also created the fewest chances, 249, compared to league leading Spurs’ 507.
Not all goals are assisted, obviously, so the percentage
of chances that yield an assist is a better measure of creative efficiency than chances
to goals.
In this regard, Southampton were ​ second worst, second only to the dire Sunderland,
but having created over 100 more chances.
Southampton are a good goal-scorer away from being a good side.
And the most efficient sides?
Only five managed to convert more than 11% of chances into
assisted goals: Once again, a Tony Pulis side achieves a better
than expected rate of conversion of chances.
West Brom, of course, led the league in set-piece conversion - perhaps a focus on set-piece
conversion is the way to guarantee better efficiency in chance conversion and goal-scoring?
Lastly, though, something to chew on (for Pep, as much as anyone): the average finishing
league position for the side with the best possession in the last decade was between
third and fourth (3.8).
No side had won the Premier League title in the last ten seasons and also
managed the best share of possession across the season.
The top six teams for possession this season show the same trend:
Again, the teams with the best possession finished 3 rd and 4 th . It’s not what you
have, it’s what you do with it.
This season, Antonio Conte and Tony Pulis have taught us the value of
that lesson.