Who's spent the most time losing?
The table never lies, as the saying goes, but a simple tally of points won doesn’t always show how dominant a team has been within their matches. Does your team spend a large chunk of games in the lead, or have they been reliant on comebacks and late goals to pick up points?
In this slideshow, we use data from bwin to reveal the Premier League clubs who have spent the most time losing so far this season.
20. Manchester City 5.1%
Given their dominance of the division – Manchester City are 16 points clear at the top of the table at the time of writing – it’s no surprise to see Pep Guardiola’s men right at the bottom of this ranking.
The Premier League leaders have been behind for just 133 minutes this season, with 62 of those coming in the 4-3 defeat by Liverpool in mid-January. They’re also the only team in the top flight who have been in a winning position for over half of the minutes they’ve played.
19. Liverpool 11.9%
Liverpool have designs on the runners-up spot this season, and they're in the top two in terms of time spent losing in the Premier League. The Reds have trailed for just 323 minutes in 2017/18 and have been in the lead for 44.2% of the 2610 minutes they've played, which is also the second-highest percentage in the division.
The longest Jurgen Klopp's side have been behind in a game this campaign was in October, when they failed to recover after conceding the opening goal to Tottenham in the fourth minute.
18. Chelsea 16.2%
Chelsea haven't had the smoothest of seasons and currently find themselves outside the top four, but their record in terms of time spent losing is still one of the best in the division.
The Blues have been behind for just 16.2% of the 2610 minutes they've played so far this term, although they only rank fifth when it comes to time spent winning. Four defeats in their last five league games have damaged both of those statistics for Chelsea.
17. Manchester United 17.1%
Second in the table but with only the fourth best record when it comes to time spent trailing are Manchester United. The Red Devils have been behind for 17.1% of their 2610 Premier League minutes in 2017/18, compared to the 36.9% - which is also the fourth-best total in the top flight - they've been in the lead.
Early goals are key to a high ranking here, and strikes inside the first 10 minutes against Stoke, Everton, Arsenal and Crystal Palace duly boosted United's position.
16. Tottenham 17.3%
Tottenham have lost only one of their last 15 Premier League encounters, but they’ve still spent 186 minutes trailing their opponents during that run.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men’s overall record of being behind for 17.3% of the 2610 minutes they’ve played this season is healthy, although it’s worth noting that four members of the big six have posted better figures. Spurs do rank third for time spent winning, however, having been in the lead 39.5% of the time.
15. Leicester 22.4%
Leicester are striving to be the best of the rest this season, with Claude Puel's men targeting seventh spot behind Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal.
The Foxes are doing even better than that when it comes to time spent losing, though, with their 22.4% in deficit among the best six records in the league. Leicester's figure was even lower a few weeks ago, but they've spent 220 minutes in losing positions against Everton, Manchester City, Stoke and Bournemouth since the end of January.
14. Burnley 23.3%
Burnley finally ended an 11-match winless run last time, as they came from behind to beat Everton 2-1. Sean Dyche's seventh-placed side didn't slip down the Premier League table during their recent barren run, but they've fallen down the ranking of time spent losing.
Indeed, the Clarets have trailed for 349 of the last 990 minutes they've played, compared to 196 in their first 990 of the season.
13. Newcastle 25.5%
A run of one defeat in five games has boosted Newcastle's chances of staying up this season, with Rafael Benitez's men not spending a single second in a losing position against Burnley, Crystal Palace, Manchester United and Bournemouth.
That helps to explain why a side who are still battling against the drop find themselves with the second-best record of time spent losing outside the big six. Another reason for their position is the fact that, even in defeat, the decisive goal (including against Burnley, Bournemouth and Leicester in the first half of the season) has often come late.
12. West Brom 26.9%
Relegation is looking increasingly likely for a West Brom outfit who have still only won three of their 29 Premier League games this term. A look at their position in this standing paints a much more positive picture, however: the Baggies are in the top half in terms of time spent losing within matches.
Indeed, the West Midlanders have been behind for only 26.9% of the minutes they’ve contested this season, which is only slightly less than the 19.3% they’ve been ahead. The fact they’ve lost nine games by one goal goes some way to explaining West Brom’s seemingly contradictory positions in this table and the real one.
11. Brighton 27%
Brighton seem to be hitting form at just the right time, with a return of 11 points from their last five games lifting Chris Hughton’s charges into mid-table. The Seagulls haven’t trailed once in those five matches, although they did spend a mammoth 173 minutes in deficit in their two previous outings against Chelsea and West Brom.
All in all, Brighton’s record of being behind for 27% of the 2610 minutes they’ve played is highly creditable for a promoted team.
10. Southampton 27.8%
Southampton supporters have grown accustomed to top-half finishes in recent years, but this season will almost certainly be different as the south coast side battle against demotion to the second tier.
A glance at their ranking here would suggest Saints are a mid-table team, with nine sides possessing a worst percentage figure when it comes to time spent losing. The lateness of crucial concessions against Manchester City, Watford and Crystal Palace may have minimised the damage to their standing in this table, but they haven’t helped Southampton’s position in the one that matters most.
9. Arsenal 28.3%
The low point of Arsenal’s season so far came in the League Cup Final, when they were emphatically brushed aside by Manchester City. Their general performance in the Premier League is arguably more concerning, though: Arsene Wenger’s men were out of the top-four race with a quarter of the season left to play.
Their ninth-place ranking in this list is further proof of how poor the Gunners have been this term, and the situation is even worse when only away games are taken into account. Of the 1350 minutes they’ve played on the road, Arsenal have been trailing for 473 (35%).
8. Huddersfield 30.2%
Huddersfield’s 2-1 win at West Brom at the end of February gave them back-to-back Premier League victories for the first time since August and broke up a five-match losing run in which they trailed for a total of 242 minutes.
The scores have been level for almost half of the minutes (48.9%) the Terriers have played in 2017/18, with David Wagner’s men in a winning position just 20.8% of the time.
7. Watford 30.9%
Mid-table Watford are almost certainly safe from the drop, but they’re closer to the bottom three in this table than the real one.
The Hornets have been behind for almost a third of the 2610 minutes they’ve played this term, compared to the 23.9% of minutes they’ve been in a winning position. There are signs of Watford moving in the right direction in this regard, though, with Javi Gracia’s side having trailed in only one of their last five top-flight games.
6. Bournemouth 31.5%
Bournemouth remain in the hunt for a top-eight finish, although consecutive draws against Newcastle and Leicester leave Eddie Howe's men in the bottom half of the table.
The Cherries came from two goals down to rescue a point against Newcastle, which wasn't the first time they've trailed before mounting a comeback. The south coast side fell behind twice in a 3-3 draw with West Ham, then beat Stoke 2-1 after spending 65 minutes in a losing position – which helps to explain their relatively high ranking in this list.
5. Swansea 32.9%
Carlos Carvalhal has breathed new life into a Swansea side who looked doomed before he assumed control in late December, taking 17 points from the last 27 available to give the Welsh outfit a fighting chance of survival.
Despite that upturn in fortunes, the Swans have still been behind for long periods in recent weeks, including in the victory over Watford (75 minutes), the draw with Leicester (63 minutes) and the defeat by Brighton (72 minutes).
4. Everton 33.3%
Everton may be comfortably clear of the relegation zone in the Premier League, but they’re close to the bottom three when it comes to minutes spent losing.
The Toffees endured a difficult start to the campaign under Ronald Koeman and caretaker boss David Unsworth, losing seven of their first 13 matches. Although they’ve since pulled clear of danger and into 11th place with Sam Allardyce at the helm, it’s notable that Everton have been trailing for over an hour in three of their last seven outings.
3. West Ham 33.8%
West Ham went on a six-match unbeaten run between Boxing Day and the end of January to ease their relegation concerns, but three losses in four games since then have left David Moyes looking nervously over his shoulder once more.
Even during that undefeated stretch, the Hammers spent 74 minutes trailing across three different games. They also conceded early in reverses to Watford, Everton and Brighton (twice), which means they’ve been losing for over a third of the 2610 minutes they’ve played this campaign.
1= Stoke 34.9%
Stoke haven’t been in such a precarious position this late in the season since their first campaign in the Premier League in 2008-09. Not only have they collected the second-fewest number of points in the top tier, the Potters are level in top spot for time spent losing.
As well as racking up 14 losses in 29 games, Stoke trailed for long periods in several games in which they ultimately avoided defeat, including against Huddersfield on Boxing Day and Brighton in February.
1= Crystal Palace 34.9%
Crystal Palace have spent most of the season either inside or close to the drop zone, and they’re right at the bottom of the pile (along with Stoke) when it comes to the time they’ve spent losing.
The Eagles have been behind for 34.9% of the 2610 minutes they’ve played this term, with many of the points they’ve gained secured in the final stages of games. Roy Hodgson’s side came from behind to beat Stoke and Watford, for instance, while they’ve fallen behind in the opening 10 minutes on no fewer than six occasions.
