Is there room for culture in football? Maybe, but less so at the top, if you believe Kuper and Syzmanski. Here is some data on various statistics from the top European leagues, suggesting that there are at least a few differences:
Category England France Germany Italy Spain C League Shots per game 21.1 20.0 20.4 20.6 20.7 21.7 Goals per game 2.77 2.41 2.83 2.61 2.71 2.56 Shooting accuracy 43.7% 42.6% 46.0% 43.9% 45.3% 42.9% Chance conversion 13.1% 12.1% 13.8% 12.7% 13.1% 11.8% % shots from inside the box 59.3% 56.1% 59.3% 53.9% 59.3% 52.8% % goals from inside the box 86.6% 84.4% 83.0% 86.2% 85.0% 78.9% Saves to shots % 69.5% 71.4% 69.5% 71.0% 70.7% 72.3% * CL data is up to date as of 17/05/2010
Perhaps surprisingly, Italy does not have the fewest goals per game. Here is a bit more data:
Category England France Germany Italy Spain C League % goals from set pieces 36.7% 34.8% 33.5% 32.0% 31.3% 30.5% % headed goals 18.3% 18.8% 18.5% 18.6% 18.6% 17.0% % goals in last 15 minutes 23.5% 24.9% 22.1% 20.0% 22.9% 25.2% % goals scored by native players 36.3% 46.8% 35.7% 53.8% 52.9% N/A
Category England France Germany Italy Spain C League Passes per game 772 751 816 780 760 838 Passing Accuracy 73.8% 75.1% 77.1% 78.1% 75.4% 79.4% Crossing Accuracy 20.8% 19.9% 22.3% 20.2% 21.0% 20.4% Dribbles per game 28.4 29.2 34.6 28.7 30.7 34.5 Dribble success 73.8% 75.1% 77.1% 78.1% 75.4% 79.4%
What happens when Europe confronts the world? Any guesses as to whether World Cup goals-per-game will be higher or lower than the Champions League? Put me down for the over.
Next up: World Cup predictions.