The 39 Steps Part Two: Progress!
Back in February, I wrote a piece which focussed on the fact that Liverpool had amassed thirty-nine points after twenty-seven league games for the third season in a row (and you can read it here).
The 2-0 win over Hull City (which ended the club's longest ever run without that particular scoreline) meant that the Reds reached that points target significantly quicker this season, as the below graph shows.
We can see that 2013/14 has been the best season in the last four (a.k.a. the post-Benitez years) by a comfortable margin, and indeed Liverpool have only had more than thirty-nine points after twenty games twice in the previous twenty-one seasons of the Premier League.
In order to make this season the best points-wise since the club last challenged for the title in 2008/09, Brendan Rodgers only needs to average 1.39 points-per-game over the remainder of the campaign. As he has been above that level for the previous thirty-two league games, and is currently at 1.72 over his entire career at Anfield, it seems reasonable now to assume that he will achieve this.
Out of interest, here is how the last three seasons panned out in full:
The Reds' points-per-game average this season currently suggests that they will finish with seventy-four points, and if they do, their points total will only have been bettered by Liverpool four times in the eighteen seasons where the Premier League has consisted of twenty teams.
Whether they achieve the above targets or not, it certainly seems fair to say that this Liverpool side are on the up, and 2014 could prove to be a fantastic year.
Recent posts you might like:
2012 and 2013: Chalk and Cheese - Liverpool's performance in the last two years could hardly be more different.
How Many League Goals Can Suárez Score in 2013/14? – This features a forecast table, which is updated after every match.
Luis Suárez: Football Genius – All the stats from the Uruguayan’s four goal demolition of Norwich City.
Hull City 3 Liverpool 1: Stats Zone Analysis – Can the numbers explain why the Reds were so poor at the KC Stadium?
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