Can two Liverpool rejects really win them the title? Take a look at the stats and decide yourself Can two Liverpool rejects really win them the title? Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing didn’t have the best of times at Liverpool, but come Sunday, Reds fans across the globe will be praying the duo can do them a favour. The pair, now at West Ham United, are likely to start against Liverpools title rivals Manchester City on the final day of the season and, if they can mastermind a stunning upset at the Etihad Stadium, it could help Brendan Rodgers’ men claim an outrageous Premier League title triumph. The stats dont bode well, however. Carroll, 25, missed the first half of the season with injury, but since his return has managed a rather paltry two goals (both headers, of course) for the east London outfit. In fact the only threat the ponytailed forward appears to offer is his ability to assist his team-mates, with Carroll managing four in just 14 appearances, the same amount as Edin Dzeko and Alvaro Negredo combined. And the England international’s ability to create is far better than Dzeko, whose brace helped Man City to a 4-0 win over Aston Villa. Carroll carves out a chance every 68 minutes compared to his Bosnian counterpart, who only makes one every 107 minutes. But that is about the only positive you can take when looking at the stats… Downing, meanwhile, will need to up his game significantly if he is to help his former club’s Premier League title chances. The winger will be buoyed after scoring his first goal of the season last time out against Tottenham Hotspur as the Hammers produced an impressive display, but having only contributed only two assists in 31 appearances, he will need to improve that dire statistic if he is to help Liverpool clinch an unlikely title. David Silva, who has played 323 less Premier League minutes this season than Downing, has managed seven goals, his highest tally since moving to the Etihad in 2010, and nine assists, while Samir Nasri has hit the back of the net six times and chipped in with seven assists. Downing’s ability to cross the ball into the box could cause Man City problems though and having attempted 282, compared to Nasri’s 188 and Silva’s 99, it’s likely this will be West Ham’s main option in attack, but with Carroll’s goal record it doesn’t bode well. Based on this evidence, it looks like Liverpool fans dreams of seeing Steven Gerrard lift the Premier League trophy aloft at Anfield are over, unless something miraculous happens. talksport
Posted on: Fri, 09 May 2014 20:00:00 +0000
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