Graph of the Day: A Decade of Offensive Production in the Premier League

Just for kicks, here's a slightly different way of looking at clubs' offensive production over the course of a decade. The graph below shows average goals scored per match and season for all clubs that played in the Premier League since the 2001/02 season. 

A few things of note:

• Only a few clubs consistently stand out; among them: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United
• A few clubs are consistent also-rans: Aston Villa, Everton, Tottenham
• Clubs on the rise: Everton, Manchester City, Tottenham
• Clubs on the decline: Blackburn, Newcastle
• Clubs that consistently perform well but not spectacularly: Bolton, Everton, Fulham

To me, the graph also demonstrates nicely what a great achievement it is to be a consistently high performing club. To me, this puts Arsenal's record under Wenger into perspective, despite all the grief he is suffering these days. With the exception of one unusual season, Chelsea's offensive record is the same now as it was ten years ago (pre-Abramovich).

The moral: All teams go through troughs and peaks - even the very best ones. Staying at or near the top is a real feat.