...off the post!

The London Times reports that the EPL is getting more roadrunner-ish, according to a recent study:

Data gathered by ProZone, which assesses a majority of Premiership clubs, reveals that the average number of sprints by these teams in league matches has increased by almost a half during the past two years, the figure of 1,699 last season comparing with 1,156 in 2002-03. The total distance covered by a team’s players has risen by an average of more than two miles per game in that period, from 67.5 miles to 69.8 miles.

The result is that players probably have less time on the ball and, perhaps in consequence, they are becoming more prone to giving away possession. While teams showed a slight improvement in this regard last season compared with two years earlier, the average tally of 190 successfully completed passes was well down from 226 in the 2003-04 campaign. Given the apparent greater urgency shown by teams, it is no surprise that they are entering the opposition’s third of the pitch more frequently. They achieved this an average of 55 times per match in 2002-03 but 73 times last season.

Take this or leave it. This seems terribly wonkish to me, but fanatical football observers might find this stuff interesting.