Attack is the best form of defence

By John Considine

In The Numbers Game: Why Everything You Know About Football Is Wrong, Chris Anderson and David Sally explain some of the problems with defensive statistics.  There is a section called 'The Maldini Principle: Dogs That Don't Bark'.  In that section they discuss how Paolo Maldini "rarely made a tackle".  They also discuss how Jaap Stam's reduction in defensive production (as measured by statistics) reflected his improvement as a defender.  Other thought he was becoming less effective!  Stam was transferred and Anderson & Sally say "Ferguson went wrong".  Ferguson admitted as much later (although the issue is confounded by Stam's book).

If you are showing up towards the top of the defensive statistics then you are doing something wrong.  Coaches love to claim that tackles and other measures show work rate and commitment.  They do but there is a reason you are having to defend.  You don't have the ball.  It is much easier to defend with the ball.  Attack is the best form of defence.  I was reminded of this today by the statistics ribbon on Sky Sports News.  Players from the teams lower down the Premier League show up on the lists such as "Most Tackles".  See the picture below.

There are no players listed in the table above from the top five clubs.  There is a problem if you are showing up on these statistics.  Last night the number of saves made by the Nottingham Forest goalkeeper helped move his side off the bottom of the table.  However, if he continues to have to make as many saves as last night then there is a good chance Nottingham Forest will be relegated.

Compare the above Sky Sports Statistics with their attacking statistics below.  Now the players are those from teams towards the top of the table (James Maddison accounts for the two entries in the lowest row of the table).