It was after Leicester last season that Guardiola said he's "not a coach for the tackles" & half the people present fell off their chairs.

Fewest tackles this season:
20. Bournemouth
19. Burnley
18. City

Fewest tackles won:
20. Utd
19. Burnley
18. Brighton
17. City

Taken from Twitter. I was surprised about these, I thought we'd be high up on tackling. Perhaps it's our organisation as we have low percentage possession whereas city have high possession. With city it appears it's their anticipation and probably their speed of thought and physical speed too.

We allow teams the ball and rely on shape, positioning and blocks.

We are more of a block and pressure side than tackling.

That's why we always have such a good disciplinary record.

I used to pull my hair out watching Scotty not put a foot in and then realised he was under "orders" If you dont tackle you are unlikely to get beat. Stats matter to Sean but not that one.

I do get cheesed off by the obsession with 'stats'. They didn't exist in our beloved game until a few years ago, stats were for American football and baseball. Take 'possession' stats, they are actually meaningless, as Burnley have proved time and again in the last few years. How many games have we won or drawn with 40% or less possession? Even Arsenal beat Bayern a couple of years ago in a game where they had 20%. When did stats suddenly come about with regard to 'blocks'? These thing exist just to give so-called experts something to talk about on the telly. There are games on MOTD where the post-match analysis is actually longer than the highlights.
The only stat that actually means anything at all is who scored the most goals, anything else is just packaging.

houseboy wrote:I do get cheesed off by the obsession with 'stats'. They didn't exist in our beloved game until a few years ago, stats were for American football and baseball. Take 'possession' stats, they are actually meaningless, as Burnley have proved time and again in the last few years. How many games have we won or drawn with 40% or less possession? Even Arsenal beat Bayern a couple of years ago in a game where they had 20%. When did stats suddenly come about with regard to 'blocks'? These thing exist just to give so-called experts something to talk about on the telly. There are games on MOTD where the post-match analysis is actually longer than the highlights.
The only stat that actually means anything at all is who scored the most goals, anything else is just packaging.

I think you'll find that Sean Dyche is very interested in stats and they play a big part in how we play our football.

Stats show that crossing isn't an efficient way of scoring goals; our gameplan involves sending opposition teams out wide (see Liverpool last season) and inviting them to cross with our narrow full backs. Net result: not m,any goals conceded. It also explains why we haven't got wingers busting a gut to get to the byeline and swing a cross over. Statistically it's not the best way to attack. Sean Dyche knows this, and that's why we play as we do.

Tackles made 19
Tackles won 19

Dont need to be a mathematician to note that's 100% - astonishing if accurate.

We tackle when it's on and not at other times, meaning we don't get beat by diving in.

All part of the system that is bringing great success.

UpTheBeehole wrote:I think you'll find that Sean Dyche is very interested in stats and they play a big part in how we play our football.

Stats show that crossing isn't an efficient way of scoring goals; our gameplan involves sending opposition teams out wide (see Liverpool last season) and inviting them to cross with our narrow full backs. Net result: not m,any goals conceded. It also explains why we haven't got wingers busting a gut to get to the byeline and swing a cross over. Statistically it's not the best way to attack. Sean Dyche knows this, and that's why we play as we do.

So why does Big Sam score most of his goals from headers? Hendricks goal v Newcastle - from a cross. Brazil the other night kept the ball on the ground and tried to walk it in through the middle - net result? No goals? Sean makes observations at games and comes to his own conclusions, and rightly so, but I bet he doesn't spend too much time listening to the pundits on MOTD talk about possession, blocks, tackles or miles run by players in a game (with 22 players on a pitch how many people are observing stats to work THAT one out?) Stats are all very well if they are put to use and are figured out for yourself through tried and tested measures (I have to do it in my job) but the ones I am talking about are just random. Does possession win games? You would think so but it just doesn't, it's what you do with it when you have it that matters. It's easy to have 60% plus possession if you knock it around harmlessly in your own half.
I think the reason we don't have wingers busting a gut to get to the byline has as much to do with the fact that we haven't got anyone who can do that as anything really stat based. Sean is a master at getting the best out of what he has but I bet if you asked him and caught him off-guard he'd admit he'd like a couple of pacey wingers who can get behind defenders.

I think we press team back rather than tackle. We press and force mistakes. I wonder how many intercepted passes we have had

what_no_pies wrote:Tackles made 19
Tackles won 19

Dont need to be a mathematician to note that's 100% - astonishing if accurate.

We tackle when it's on and not at other times, meaning we don't get beat by diving in.

All part of the system that is bringing great success.

Think you've mistead the stat - we're 19th in league out of 20 on tackles made - not that we have made 19 tackles.

We're 19th in the league of tackles won out of 20 .... Not that we've only won 19 tackles.

...... Or I have read it wrong hahaha

I've come across a few of these stats companies in the course of work (a few basketball ones and OPTA). Stats are from a combination of GPS trackers, camera feeds tracking players and people just sat there watching and pressing buttons for different activities.

What we see on websites like whoscored.com or whatever is very limited compared to the full package that the clubs can buy. It can contain stats like the time a player spends on the ball, the direction/length of passes. A lot of the time now, players aren't rested when they feel an injury coming on but when their stats are showing fewer high intensity efforts during training. They may not even be aware of being off the pace personally.

houseboy wrote: tried to walk it in through the middle - net result? No goals? Sean makes observations at games and comes to his own conclusions, and rightly so, but I bet he doesn't spend too much time listening to the pundits on MOTD talk about possession, blocks, tackles or miles run by players in a game (with 22 players on a pitch how many people are observing stats to work THAT one out?)

No, he won't spend time listening to pundits, he'll listen to the ENTIRE TEAM of video analysts he employs

aggi wrote:I've come across a few of these stats companies in the course of work (a few basketball ones and OPTA). Stats are from a combination of GPS trackers, camera feeds tracking players and people just sat there watching and pressing buttons for different activities.

What we see on websites like whoscored.com or whatever is very limited compared to the full package that the clubs can buy. It can contain stats like the time a player spends on the ball, the direction/length of passes. A lot of the time now, players aren't rested when they feel an injury coming on but when their stats are showing fewer high intensity efforts during training. They may not even be aware of being off the pace personally.

I am always very wary of stats on betting sites. SkyBet will say we have had 40% possession while Sky Sports will say we have had 50%

I once did the stats for the Bury Times helping a mate out for a Bury v Rochdale FAC game. I turned up late as I stayed for a couple of extra pints in the Stanley Con Club! I compared them with the MEN stats and I wasn't far off!

Less tackling = Less diving of opposing players which means less free-kicks awarded against us.
That's my view anyway.

Defour, in particular, seems to be masterful at intercepting passes. The amount of times he'll nick one because he's read what the players going to do before he does it.

CharlieinNewMexico wrote:Defour, in particular, seems to be masterful at intercepting passes. The amount of times he'll nick one because he's read what the players going to do before he does it.

Good spot, he's actually got the second most interceptions in the league with 29, behind Monreal.

I think interceptions and blocks have become far more important than the old-fashioned tackle.
given the direction football has gone in my lifetime I wouldn't be surprised to see the tackle, as we know it, completely outlawed in the not too distant future

UpTheBeehole wrote:No, he won't spend time listening to pundits, he'll listen to the ENTIRE TEAM of video analysts he employs

Yes he will, one game at a time depending on the opposition, not generalities. We know he does this. His stats are targeted, not making assumptions about, for example, crosses not being the most effective.

boatshed bill wrote:I think interceptions and blocks have become far more important than the old-fashioned tackle.
given the direction football has gone in my lifetime I wouldn't be surprised to see the tackle, as we know it, completely outlawed in the not too distant future

And that is when my interest in football end.

The expected goals stat winds me up something rotten.
Even though nick pope is excelling in that department, it's absolutely abysmal

Damo wrote:The expected goals stat winds me up something rotten.
Even though nick pope is excelling in that department, it's absolutely abysmal

I don't understand these. Does the perceived ability of the goalkeeper have any effect on this stat?

My tackles not very big.

Mine's even smaller.

Stats show that crossing isn't an efficient way of scoring goals;

Of course they are not!
Just remind me how we scored against Newcastle and Southampton ?
UTC

We've scored 50% of our goals from crosses (non from the bye line)

Vokes x 3
Wood x 1
Hendrick x 1

We like to get our crosses in from deeper positions.

boatshed bill wrote:I think interceptions and blocks have become far more important than the old-fashioned tackle.
given the direction football has gone in my lifetime I wouldn't be surprised to see the tackle, as we know it, completely outlawed in the not too distant future

That's why it is fun to see Tarkowski launch into one of his 'solid' tackles, which he mostly gets right. But when he doesn't it's almost a certain yellow card, as at Southampton.

I thought Diame of Newcastle was very sharp in reading player movements against us so nicking the ball. I notice that quite a few players are anticipating the movement of the ball when a player receives it and doesn't quite control it tightly.

NL Claret wrote:We've scored 50% of our goals from crosses (non from the bye line)

Vokes x 3
Wood x 1
Hendrick x 1

We like to get our crosses in from deeper positions.

Depends what you mean when you say 'from the byline'. I'd say it refers to the attacker going to the outside of the fullback and crossing, as in Berg Gudmundson vs. West Ham, and not necessarily on the dead-ball line.