Top effort by Rafa’s Newcastle but massive credit to Chelsea and Tottenham as top these stats
Always difficult to compare achievements of clubs across the four divisions, does Chelsea topping the Premier League show them as more successful than say Portsmouth winning League Two?
Obviously winning the Premier League is always going to be the most noteworthy trophy for the media but all clubs find themselves in the division they deserve to be in any particular season.
So you can only measure them in terms of how they do throughout that year, not on the name of the club or past titles/trophies.
So of the 92 clubs this season, who is the most successful so far?
I looked at the top teams in each of the four divisions and how many points per game on average they had won so far.
Some very interesting results…
Chelsea not only are top of the Premier League, they are also way ahead of all the other 91 clubs when it comes to raking in points (per game).
Antonio Conte has done a remarkable job at Stamford Bridge and they average 2.45 points,with a superb 30 wins out of 38 games.
What is more is that runners-up Tottenham are second of the 92 clubs as well as in the top tier, their 2.26 points per game average is particularly impressive when you consider having to bounce back from fading late on last season.
In third place in this points average are Sheffield United with an excellent 100 points, though from 46 games, giving an average of 2.17 points per match.
Maybe surprisingly, Manchester City (average 2.05) have managed to sort themselves out in the second half of the season, only losing one of their final 17 PL matches, and figure so highly in these stats.
Rafa Benitez was just a shade behind with an excellent 2.04 points average over 46 matches, then Brighton (2.02), the only other to get 2.0 points per game or higher.
These are also brilliant achievements for the two Championship managers/clubs, not quite at Chelsea/Tottenham levels but not far behind, considering they have bettered all the clubs in Leagues One and Two apart from Sheffield United
Comparing this season to last is also worth looking at – Champions Chelsea (2.45 points) and Tottenham (2.26) compares to 2015/16 final standings – Leicester (2.13) and Arsenal (1.86).
As for the Championship, Newcastle (2.04) and Brighton (2.02) compares to 2015/16 top three of Burnley (2.02) and Middlesbrough & Brighton (both 1.93)
Top three in each of the four leagues average points per game 2016/17:
2.45 Chelsea (93 points from 38 games)
2.26 Tottenham (86 points, 38 games)
2.17 Sheffield United (100 points, 46 games)
2.05 Manchester City (78 points, 38 games)
2.04 Newcastle (94 points, 46 games)
2.02 Brighton (93 points, 46 games)
1.89 Plymouth (87 points, 46 games)
1.89 Portsmouth (87 points, 46 games)
1.87 Bolton (86 points, 46 games)
1.85 Reading (85 points, 46 games)
1.85 Doncaster (85 points, 46 games)
1.78 Scunthorpe (82 points, 46 games)
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