Sean Ingle discusses whether Chelsea and Liverpool have an advantage in the Premier League title race as they are not in Europe this season, using data from the STATS EMEA Research team on players featuring in their sides:
“Other advantages are already apparent. Stats.com data shows Chelsea (16) and Liverpool (17) have used the fewest players in their starting XIs among the top seven teams in the Premier League this season. Even in the era of the squad, this matters: a major reason for Leicester’s success last season was they used fewer players than anyone else in the league; being able to recover more and rotate less than their rivals, coupled with fewer injuries and suspensions, was also a big advantage down the stretch.”