Unprecedented Active Play: Burnley and Man City Lead the Pack | Premier League Set to Smash Goal Ratio Records

How is the crackdown on time-wasting by referees impacting teams and the record books? According to data providers Second Spectrum, there has been a significant increase in the average playing time in a Premier League game this season. It has jumped by over four minutes, from approximately 54 minutes in the 2022/23 season to 59 minutes this term.

The average game duration has reached its highest level since the start of record-keeping, surpassing the previous record of 56 minutes and 43 seconds set in 2013/14 by two-and-a-half minutes. It is approaching the widely discussed goal of 60 minutes of effective game time. Additionally, for the first time, the total duration of a game now exceeds 100 minutes on average.

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Time-wasting crackdown explained

Which teams play the most?

Arsenal

Manchester City

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That could help City score even more goals, with their current average of 2.67 per game close to their record-breaking ratio of 2.79 - when they netted 106 goals in 2017/18.

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Indeed, the Premier League is on course to average more than three goals per game in a campaign for the first time in history.

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Interestingly, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was one of the leading sceptics when the new guidelines on added time were unveiled.

After losing to Arsenal in the Community Shield in August, the City manager expressed his belief that games will now last 100 minutes. He made a remark about adding time for each goal in a 4-3 game, jokingly stating that he would still be playing the following morning at 9am. Interestingly, the extended time seems to favor Manchester City's possession-based style of play. Surprisingly, it is a lower-ranked team at the bottom of the table that ranks highest for active gameplay.

This season, Burnley made a remarkable comeback to the top-flight with an impressive and captivating style of play led by Vincent Kompany. The Clarets surpassed Guardiola's team in terms of effective game-time, averaging 64 minutes and three seconds.

The opponents they faced so far have not significantly affected their average. In their match against Manchester City, they only had 34.7 percent possession, but they had the majority of ball possession in their games against Manchester United, Aston Villa, and Nottingham Forest. They also had a nearly equal amount of possession against Spurs. However, both Manchester United and Villa are also among the top four teams for having the most active gameplay.

Bournemouth has been involved in games with the least action so far this season, averaging just 56 minutes and 20 seconds. Luton, Everton, Sheffield United, and Brentford follow closely behind. Chelsea, Newcastle, and Tottenham are also among the teams with low action, particularly Bournemouth, who have significantly reduced time-wasting compared to the previous season, averaging only 50 minutes and 54 seconds.

On average, games including Aston Villa and Tottenham have exceeded 104 minutes in total, considering both active and inactive periods. In contrast, Luton and Bournemouth are the sole teams with an average duration of less than 100 minutes.

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The scatter chart depicts the average game time of each Premier League team over the last two seasons, with the current season highlighted in blue. The findings indicate that there has been a significant increase in minutes played across all teams during this season, with Luton being the standout exception.

Only Burnley and both Manchester clubs consistently exceed 62 minutes of active game time. On the other hand, Aston Villa and Spurs have longer-than-average periods of inactivity, leading to a total game time exceeding 104 minutes.

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Arsenal Manchester City

Manchester City and Burnley, the teams with the most active playing time, ranked second on the list when City defeated Burnley 3-0 in the season opener. Newcastle and Brentford had the least activity, with only 51 minutes and 48 seconds on the clock, when Eddie Howe's side secured a 1-0 victory two weeks ago. The North London derby, where Arsenal and Tottenham played to a thrilling 2-2 draw, had the second-lowest amount of in-play action.

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The scatter chart displayed below illustrates the active and total game time for each Premier League game from the past two seasons. The current season is indicated by the blue shading. The findings show that the Newcastle vs Brentford game generated almost 10 minutes more active gameplay compared to the lowest game duration of the previous season, which was Aston Villa's 4-0 victory against Brentford in October last year.

The match between Aston Villa and Crystal Palace resulted in a remarkable total game time of 111 minutes and 56 seconds, setting a new record. However, this duration only slightly surpasses the 1-0 victory of Chelsea over Everton on the first weekend of the previous season.

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It is still too soon to assess the impact of additional added time on results and historical records. However, extended periods of active gameplay naturally lead to increased goal-scoring opportunities, thereby potentially favoring top teams like Manchester City the most.

As for the fans, they should anticipate more of everything, as the overall game time surpasses the 100-minute mark.