[인터풋볼] Reporter Shin Dong-hoon = If football had been 45 minutes, the English Premier League (EPL) leaderboard would have changed considerably.
British’The Sun’ listed the EPL teams on the 12th (Korean time) in the leaderboards based on their first half performance only. There was a lot of difference from now. The team with the most fluctuating rankings is by far Manchester United. United are currently in second place with 63 points. However, in terms of the first half performance alone, it is ranked 12th.
This means two things. The first is that United is sluggish at the beginning. According to’The Sun’ data, Manchester United only scored 38 points in the first half. It is a figure that barely exceeds half of the victory points. From a different point of view, it boils down to the fact that the concentration in the second half is very strong.
This is revealed in the game just before Tottenham. Manchester United conceded a goal to Son Heung-min in the first half and were dragged 0-1, but scored three goals in the second half and won a 3-1 victory. It was a game that stood out for Manchester United’s backstage. In this way, United have been able to do well this season based on their remarkable flipping ability.
The opposite is Tottenham. Tottenham is currently 7th with 49 points. The UEFA Europa League (UEL) cannot be guaranteed, let alone entering the 4th place, given the UEFA Champions League (UCL) ticket. However, looking at the results of the first half, Tottenham is in second place. With 57 points, it is 8 points higher than now.
It can be seen that everything is the opposite of Manchester United. The start starts off well, but there were many games that turned over and collapsed in the second half. Tottenham lost 14 points by conceding after 35 minutes in the second half, including Manchester United. Tottenham fans are the most dissatisfied with the Jose Mourinho regime.
If you look more at the first half leaderboard of’The Sun’, Man City is running at first place as in reality. Leicester and Liverpool sit down to 8th and 10th respectively. On the contrary, Brighton, Southampton, Fulham, and Crystal Palace are higher than the current rankings. Sheffield United’s first half performance was also last, as in reality.