Interesting article.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football...eads-are-becoming-harder-to-turn-over-will-c/
Why Premier League leads are becoming harder to turn over: will comebacks ever come back
28 OCTOBER 2016 • 10:00AM
Are comebacks a thing of the past? Once the hallmark of the Premier League and Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United, particularly in his final season, victories from losing positions have become something of a rarity.
Of the 90 games so far this season, only eight have seen a team win after going behind - a proportion of just 8.9 per cent. And none of the last 28 matches have witnessed a comeback win - since Liverpool's 2-1 triumph at Swansea.
This is the second lowest proportion in a
Premier Leagueseason, after the 2004/05 campaign, and is also some way down on the average prior to this season of 10.9 per cent.
The 2012/13 season, when Fergie led United to their most recent Premier League title, saw a whopping 15.5 per cent of games won via a comeback. United recorded come-from-behind wins in an astonishing nine of their 38 matches. It's surprising enough just to learn that the eventual champions went behind in nearly 25 per cent of their games, let alone fought back to win that many.
Ferguson created teams with a winning mentality who were feared due to the ruthlessness with which they won matches. When they cranked up the pressure - often having conceded - opponents would usually crumble.
These days, smaller teams seem less overawed by the behemoths of English football. They no longer bow to the will of their superiors.
Watford dug deep to palm off a United fightback at Vicarage Road;
Southampton did not fold at the Etihad last weekend after conceding an equaliser,
just like Everton did the week before;
Burnley bit back to beat a resurgent Everton; Liverpool held on to victory at Stamford Bridge despite wave after wave of late Chelsea pressure.
Throwing the kitchen sink at an opponent when chasing a game no longer works. With every point vital, teams are becoming more clued up when it comes to holding out. It's no longer a surprise to see a so-called 'lesser' team go to one of the big guns and manage a clean sheet, or even nick a win. See
Middlesbrough's goalless draw at Arsenal last week that could very easily have been a win.
