Harry Kane to score 30 goals, Wayne Rooney to flop and card-happy referees… 11 things to expect this Premier League season, according to the all-important stats
From the dip in free-kick goals and crossing to the demise of hard-tackling, we take a look at the trends of the top flight
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THE Premier League is finally back this weekend.
After a long summer, the top flight returns on Friday night, with Arsenal hosting Leicester in the 2017-18 curtain-raiser at the Emirates.
After an intriguing summer in the transfer market, Chelsea appear to have strengthened their squad less than some of their major rivals.
Meanwhile, teams such as Manchester United and Manchester City have shown their intent with a host of massive signings.
Will one of the big-boys run home with the trophy or could there be "another Leicester" as an unfancied teams makes a shock charge?
Just what can we expect from the 2017-18 season, with the Blues looking to defend their title?
Well, we've crunched the numbers from 25 years of Premier League action to find out just that.
Check out 11 of the most interesting stats, facts and trends, below...
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1. KEEP CALM AND HARRY ON…
EXPECT Harry Kane to hit 30 Premier League goals this season.
In his four top flight seasons, the 24-year old is scoring progressively season-by-season – 2013-14 (Kane goals 3), 2014-15 (21), 2015-16 (25) and last season 29.
And remember he has yet to score a Prem goal in August and he also missed eight games through injury last season.
So a full campaign could see his stats hit thirty-something this term.
2. ROO ON THE WANE
HE may have returned home to Everton this summer, but trends show Wayne Rooney’s goalscoring in the Prem is significantly down progressively since 2013.
In the last four seasons England’s record scorer is on a net crash – 2013-14 (17), 2014-15 (12), 2015-16 (8), 2016-17 (5).
3. GOALS ALLOWED
IN the last three seasons goals are on the up in the Premier League.
Just three seasons ago 2.57 goals were being scored per game (a total of 975).
This increased by 51 in 2015-16 (2.70 per game) and last season it was up again by another 38 goals to 2.80 per game (1,064).
4. NOT SO DIRECT
FORGET Philippe Coutinho, Christian Eriksen and Gylfi Sigurdsson, the percentage of goals being scored direct from free kicks in the Premier League is on the slippery slope.
In 2013-14 a total of 3.7 per cent of goals were scored from direct free kicks.
But this has dropped per season since: 2013-14 (3.7%), 2014-15 (2.8%), 2015-16 (2.4%) and last season (2.3%).
5. THE KILLER B’s
GOOD news for Championship clubs Barnsley, Birmingham, Bolton, Brentford, Bristol City and Burton.
For the last FOUR seasons a team beginning with ‘B’ has been promoted to the Prem from the Championship – 2013-14 Burnley, 2014-15 Bournemouth, 2015-16 Burnley, 2016-17 Brighton.
In the Prem era alone a total of 14 clubs beginning with B have gone up including Bradford, Bolton, Blackburn and Birmingham.
6. FADE IN ENGLAND
IT’S no secret that English players are dropping out of the Premier League.
There were 390 in the first season of the PL in 1992, but an alarming drop of 200 home grown players had struck the Prem by 2008-09 (190).
Over the last three seasons the decline is slight but nonetheless worrying: 2014-15 (185), 2015-16 (184), 2016-17 (177).
7. SHOT TO BITS
WE’RE witnessing fewer shots on the Premier League per game.
This has dropped per season over the last seven years.
In the 2010-11 season, we were watching on average 29.1 shots per match, but in successive seasons it has dropped 28.7, 27.8, 26.9, 26.0, 25.7 and 25.6 last season.
Shot conversion is higher though with more goals from less shots.
8. CARD LUCK STORY
RED cards are showing a significant trend of falling, but yellow cards are on the increase.
In 2008-09, an average of 3.09 yellow cards were being handed out, but this moved up to 3.11 in 2012-13, 3.12 in 2015-16 and 3.66 last season.
Meanwhile reds have dropped with 71 dismissals in total in 2014-15, then 59 in 2015-16 and just 41 last season.
9. TACKLING ISSUE
THE art of the tackle in the Premier League is becoming extinct according to our stat trends.
A decade ago an average of 47.2 tackles were being made per PL match.
But over the next ten seasons, this has slipped to 44.2 (2008-09), 42.4 (2009-10), 41.0 (2010-11), 38.7 in 2014-15 and 34.6 last season.
That's a drop of nearly 13 tackles per match in ten years.
10. PENALTY NOTICE
REFS have awarded more penalties in the last three seasons.
In 2014-15 a total of 83 spot-kicks were handed out, this increased to 91 in 2015-16 and last season it moved over the century mark to 106.
The stats follow that more pens are being scored – 63 in 2014-15, 74 in 2015-16 and 81 last season.
11. CROSS REFERENCE
THE regular cross from open play has fallen away in the Prem.
Ten years ago an average of 38.8 crosses were being made.
Inside a decade this has crashed by ten per match on average.
The average crosses have slipped slightly season by season: 2010-11 37 crosses per game, 2011-12 (34.5), 2012-13 (32.2), 2013-14 (30.5), 2014-15 (29.6), 2015-16 (29.2) and last season 28.4.
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