Is having a strong team in the Premier League really a good thing? Statistics on the number of players each club have used this season suggest that may not be the case.
The full stats are available via Transfermarkt and have been shared and discussed on Twitter, with most teams now playing 35 of their 38 games this season.
And they reveal that the teams that use the most players (Nottingham Forest top with 33, Chelsea second with 32) tend to struggle. Which team uses the least? League leaders and voted champions Manchester City have only used 22 players in the league this season.
Forest and Chelsea embarked on lavish spending in the summer and January transfer windows, signing an incredible number of players. But Steve Cooper's side are still in the relegation zone at the time of writing while Chelsea have had a bad season, changing coaches three times.
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Current Stamford Bridge caretaker manager Frank Lampard recently admitted that the Chelsea squad is simply too big to cultivate tactical connections between players.
I said:
“Obviously we have a great squad, which I think was done with all good intentions, but of course managing that and getting a really tight and cohesive unit [ very difficult]. “[We need] connected people to work together in a positive way. Then you can start talking about tactics, where are we going on the field.
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"If you don't have that, it's very difficult and very difficult. It is something that should and will be addressed in the future."
Apparently City could field 2 teams that could win the tournament ? pic.twitter.com/GmzNQuAxg5
– (@ErlingRoIe) May 6, 2023
A common misconception is that City have the deepest squad in the Premier League, although the numbers suggest it's the quality under Pep Guardiola that really matters, with the Etihad Stadium seeing stability under Catalan strategist, with players accustomed to his methods.
The struggling teams Wolves, Southampton and Bournemouth have all used more than 30 players this season, while Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle - all in the top four - have used 26 or less. Advertisement
How many players does each Premier League club employ in the 2022/23 season?
33 - Nottingham Forest
32-Chelsea
31 - Wolves, Southampton, Bournemouth
- 29 Fulham
28 - Everton, Leeds, Leicester
27 - Tottenham, Liverpool
26 - Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle, Brighton, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa
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