Chelsea’s 100 goals of misrepresentation and lowered standards
By Travis Tyler
Chelsea is the second English team to hit the 100 goal mark in all competitions. Digging deeper it becomes clear how much of an asterisk that stat holds.
Two English teams have hit 100 goals in all competitions this season: Chelsea and Manchester. On paper, that looks like a great stat that showcases Chelsea’s “newfound” attacking tilt. Dig deeper and the stat’s shine falls apart rapidly.
On the surface level, this stat is being used to compare Manchester City to Chelsea as a positive. But when one learns that City is on 153 goals in 56 matches, the Blues’ achievement looks much the lesser. Of course, City had the benefit of several easy cup matches. Then again, so did Chelsea because of the Europa League.
In the Europa League, Chelsea has set the record for most wins in a season. Of course, there is no reason why a team like the Blues should not be beating those sides and that is not to mention that the Europa League has an extra round compared to Champions League. In 12 Europa League matches, Chelsea has scored a whopping 30 of their 100 goals.
But besides falsely comparing Chelsea and City, this stat also implies the club is far ahead of the rest of the top six. It is untrue. Liverpool sits on 97 goals in 46 matches (the Blues have played 55). Tottenham also has 97 in 52 matches. Arsenal joins the 97 goal club with 97 in 51 matches. The Gunners also share the Europa League experience with Chelsea so that is perhaps the fairest comparison.
The Blues does at least show up well against Manchester United’s 83 goals in 49 matches. They are also the only team that Chelsea beats on a goals per game average. But simply because the Blues are the second over the 100 goal line, it is seen as a victory and proof of concept despite falling short of nearly everything that is true.
Looking at the stat in context, mixed with the overwhelming support of it shows just how far the standards have fallen. It did not used to be enough to be fighting for top four and the Europa League while trumpeting how many goals the Blues had scored. In fact, it was the sort of thing Chelsea fans used to poke fun of their North London rivals for doing.
And for comparisions sake, Chelsea last season with “defensive park the bus football” under Antonio Conte scored 102 goals in 58 matches. That was with a tough Champions League group for those keeping track. So with a manager brought in to make the Blues attacking and the lower quality Europa League, Chelsea is barely any better off in the goal scoring department.
The 100 goals stat and the most wins in Europe stat are numbers that Maurizio Sarri and his supporters will hang their hat on. But in context, they mean little and they are frankly embarrassing to bang up when compared to the top six rivals. It goes right up there with talking about the Blues’ possession or passing numbers as if they mattered without production on the end of it.
Chelsea used to be the team that cared only about the one true stat: the result. But now they are the becoming the team that cares about the superficial stats that can crumble under the slightest examination.
The Blues may yet finish the season with a trophy and Champions League football. But if stats like this continue to be applauded, the Blues will find themselves sinking. They will become the punch line to the joke that Chelsea used to tell about Arsenal and Tottenham for years.