Dugout Discussion – Sunday

The curtains are closed on the weekend action as Liverpool face Watford at Anfield and Manchester City battle Arsenal on home turf. The latter fixture carries the most gravity in terms of league positioning, with both sides still searching for a guaranteed top-four berth.

Man City place joint-third for goals (10) across their last four outings, despite mustering the third-fewest attempts (37). They ultimately profited from the best shot accuracy (62%) and shot-conversion rate (27%) of any side. Conversely, the Gunners charted third for attempts (71) and shots inside the box (44) yet chalked up just four goals, giving rise to the fifth-worst shot-conversion rate (5.6%). Nonetheless, no team conceded fewer goals (one) than Arsenal over the last four matches.

Liverpool’s attack was the busiest during their last four, ranking joint-fifth for goals (nine), top for attempts (80) and top for shots on target (26). The Merseysiders’ defence failed to hold up its end of the bargain, though, conceding six goals. Shifting our focus onto Watford, they placed joint-third for shots conceded (38) and joint-top for big chances conceded (11) across their previous four match-ups, underlining the obliging nature of their back line and offering further encouragement to the Reds attack.