Low blocks are a hot topic in the Premier League.
This term refers to when the defending team sits deep in a compact shape, defending the goal and limiting the space in the central area, making it difficult for the opponent to create chances.
Which teams encounter low blocks most often? And when playing against each other, which teams are the most effective and which teams are the most effective? ‘Between the Lines’ digs into the numbers.
Example of a low block that Sunderland deployed against Arsenal
Slot is right about Liverpool and the low block
After Liverpool’s Champions League win over Marseille, Arne Slott was told by Steven Gerrard to stop talking about low blocks.
“He needs to stop talking about low blocks,” the former Liverpool captain said on TNT Sports. “Ever since I was playing, there was a low block against Liverpool. That’s exactly what happened.”
Speaking to Sky Sports, Slott retorted: “I have to agree with him that we talk a lot about low blocks, because we face a lot of low blocks. And when people ask me after the game for my opinion on the game, I have to explain something.”
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Arne Slott responds to Steven Gerrard’s advice on low block
The data supports slot comments on subblocks.
This season, Liverpool have had the highest proportion of build-up phases against compact defenses of any team in the Premier League, at 26%.
Arsenal are second with 24 per cent, while Nottingham Forest and Newcastle are third and fourth with 23 per cent and 22 per cent respectively.
At the other end of the scale, Leeds have had the lowest build-up phase ratio for their low blocks this season, at 14%, lower than Crystal Palace and Burnley’s 15%.
Manchester City faces a lack of low blocks
Slott laments that he has faced lower blocks more often this season than last season, as Liverpool’s opponents have tried to frustrate them.
Again, the data backs him up.
This season, only Everton have seen a significant increase in the proportion of their build-up phase against deep opponents.
Liverpool and Everton face low blocks more often, while Manchester City faces low blocks less often.
In fact, Josep Guardiola’s side have had the highest negative differential of any Premier League club this season, falling from a Premier League high of 27 per cent last season to 21 per cent this season, ranking fifth.
The drop reflects Guardiola’s emphasis on directness this season, and a change in the way his team attacks and defends against it.
Aston Villa is the most effective
Aston Villa ranks as the most effective team against low blocks.
Helped by a string of shots from outside the box this season, Unai Emery’s side have racked up 19 goals in phases of play against deep defense since the start of last season.
They have scored three more goals than any other team in the same period, followed by Manchester City with 16. Newcastle have also had some success, scoring 15 points from low blocks.
Excluding relegated and promoted teams, Brentford have scored the fewest goals against low blocks at three.
If we take into account the number of times Premier League teams have faced each other in the lower blocks, Aston Villa and Brentford would be at the top and bottom respectively.
For reference, Aston Villa’s 19 goals since the start of last season have come from 1,717 build-up phases against a compact defence, an average significantly higher than any other Premier League team at 1.11 goals per 100 phases.
On the other hand, Manchester City’s 16 goals involved a much higher number of build-up phases against the low block, 2,676, and a much lower average number of goals per 100 phases, at 0.60.
Arsenal low block problem
Newcastle and Manchester United are closest to Newcastle in terms of goals per 100 in the build-up phase against defenders, while Liverpool and Arsenal are closer to Brentford.
A look at the number of shots taken further reveals Arsenal’s problems.
Liverpool take at least a decent amount of shots against low blocks, averaging 9.9 shots per 100 phases of play, fourth among regular Premier League teams over the past two seasons, while Mikel Arteta’s side have the second-lowest average of 7.8 shots per 100 phases of play.
The data also suggests that Chelsea struggle with low blocks, averaging slightly more shots than Arsenal’s 8.1.
Arsenal’s lack of threat against the low block was most recently evident in Sunday’s 3-2 loss to Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium, when the Gunners struggled to pry open their opponents’ defensive structures in open play.
In contrast to Arsenal, Manchester United have shown they are good at breaking blocks, averaging a significantly higher number of shots against blocks than any other team in the Premier League since the start of last season, at 12.9 shots per 100 phases.
read between the lines last week
Why are so many Premier League strikers struggling this season? In last week’s edition, we looked at the decline in goals scored by forwards and the reasons behind this trend.
