As of the 29th of July 2020, we have seen two completed rounds of the English Premier League since the restart of the competition. In addition, at the time of writing there have been two additional games played in the third round of matches involving Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Watford and Southampton.
There have been plenty of changes to the way the Premier League operates following the outbreak of coronavirus in the United Kingdom. Some of the major differences between now and earlier in the season include no fans inside the stadium, 9 players named as substitutes, 5 substitutions allowed for each team per game and drinks breaks at the halfway point of the first half and second half of matches.
🏆🔴 PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS 🔴🏆 pic.twitter.com/nNO5YMNaDv— Premier League (@premierleague) June 25, 2020
🏆🔴 PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS 🔴🏆 pic.twitter.com/nNO5YMNaDv
With that in mind, what trends have developed in terms of results and the flow of games in the Premier League?
Of the 24 matches played to date, there have been 10 home wins and 8 away wins. That leaves us with 6 draws and perhaps there have not been the high number of away victories people were expecting. In the German Bundesliga, a trend emerged where there were significantly more away wins being recorded but that does not seem to have transferred to the English Premier League. However, come the end of the season we may end up seeing more away wins than usual but it is not going to be a hugely significant difference unless something changes between now and the end of the campaign.
However, an emerging trend in Premier League games is the number of goals being scored in the first half and second half of matches.
Of the 24 games played to date, only 4 of them have seen 2 or more goals scored in the first half. In addition, we are yet to see both teams find the back of the net in the first half of a Premier League game since the resumption of the competition. Interestingly, 14 of the 24 Premier League matches played have reached the end of the first half without either team scoring a goal.
In the final full round of fixtures played before the suspension of the Premier League, there were 3 games out of 10 that did not see a goal come half time. In the first full round of fixtures played after the suspension of the Premier League they were twice as many matches without a goal scored come half time. This number was repeated in the second round of games.
What could be the reason for this developing trend?
It may have something to do with the fact players are coming back from a long break without having the opportunity to get back up to speed. Therefore, games are starting slowly and as players are getting into the flow of the match, goal scoring chances are being created. On the other hand, it may be that players are beginning to tire in the second half which is leading to a greater number of goals being scored.
We must also consider the number of substitutions being made in the second half of games. This has increased dramatically since the change in the rules and could be a major factor for the increased number of goals being scored in the second half. It will be interesting to follow the next few weeks and see if this trend continues in the Premier League.