{"id":5347,"date":"2020-09-11T14:19:01","date_gmt":"2020-09-11T14:19:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bettingwebsites.org.uk\/?page_id=5347"},"modified":"2021-09-16T13:20:13","modified_gmt":"2021-09-16T13:20:13","slug":"how-does-distance-travelled-affect-a-football-teams-performance","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bettingwebsites.org.uk\/articles\/football\/how-does-distance-travelled-affect-a-football-teams-performance\/","title":{"rendered":"How Does Distance Travelled Affect A football Team\u2019s Performance?"},"content":{"rendered":"
This really is an interesting question and it does throw up a number of interesting theories. Perhaps one of the most debated over the years is whether home advantage really does make a difference to how a team performs, with some being able to do much better when they do not have the pressure of their own fans classed as being in the majority.<\/p>\n
As a starting point to illustrate this theory let\u2019s take a look at the most successful away teams between the 2010\/2011 to the 2015\/2016 season and the average points that were accumulated.<\/p>\n
Teams<\/th>\n | Average Points<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arsenal<\/td>\n | 1.75<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manchester United<\/td>\n | 1.73<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manchester City<\/td>\n | 1.7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tottenham<\/td>\n | 1.6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chelsea<\/td>\n | 1.58<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Southend United<\/td>\n | 1.5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wycombe<\/td>\n | 1.4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Watford<\/td>\n | 1.4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brentford<\/td>\n | 1.4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Liverpool<\/td>\n | 1.4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n What this table clearly indicates, is that during that period, the most successful away teams were typically dominated by the wealthiest clubs, with the exception of a few anomalies such as Wycombe and Southend United.<\/p>\n It is no coincidence that those teams in the list who are in the top five would be leading candidates for top four finishes in the Premier League over that period, while Liverpool (a club in transition at the time), also making the list as well.<\/p>\n Does Distance Travelled Make A Difference?<\/h2>\nThis is where advantage could particularly be on your side if you are a football club that is based in the Midlands because effectively you may only be a certain amount of miles from anywhere and certainly not over a particular number.<\/p>\n For example, if Aston Villa travel to Newcastle United it is approximately 160 miles and if both clubs had been playing in London the previous week, both clubs will have effectively travelled the same distance in the space of seven days. This means that there wouldn\u2019t necessarily be too much of a disadvantage, apart from a slight one for Aston Villa.<\/p>\n Also, perhaps one variable that you have to factor in is the temperature. The further north that you travel in the Premier League, the colder that it typically gets, with Newcastle being considered one of the coldest places in England. This means that for players from South coast clubs, or even London for example, who are used to playing in slightly warmer temperatures, combined with the distance travelled might have a harder time acclimatising to their new, temporary environments and as such, this could well have an influence on the overall result.<\/p>\n Below is an analysis of team performances in the English Football League between the 2010\/2011 and 2015\/2016 seasons and what distances they appeared to prefer, based on the points that they amassed during the period.\u00a0 Short distance is defined as less than the average distance traveled for each team, long distance is defined as greater than the average distance.<\/p>\n \n
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