It’s often been said that to win the Premier League, first and foremost, you need to be solid at the back. Well, this doesn’t seem to be the case now. Gone are the days of Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea winning the league having conceded just 22 goals, or even Fergie’s Manchester United doing the same in 2008.
Since 2008, the average amount of goals conceded by the Premier League champions is just over 33 (33.28 to be precise). Manchester United even managed to top the table in 2013 having conceded 43 goals, which is really quite astonishing.
It’s clear that the emphasis has moved away from the ‘build from the back’ philosophy, and everybody is now obsessed with high-pressing attacking football. This often makes for exhilarating games of football, but why is it that the art of defending is leaving our game?