Copyright GIVEMESPORT
Whether fans, players and managers are pleased about it or not, long gone are the days of possession-based football in the Premier League. A large chunk of teams in England's top flight are reverting to the old-fashioned tactic of playing long-ball football and using towering strikers as a means of platforming attacks in abundance. It's definitely not a welcomed tactic by Liverpool manager Arne Slot, whose side are running the risk of spiralling out of control as the Anfield outfit – despite spending chunks of money on the likes of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz – losing has become commonplace. "I've looked at how many long balls we already had to defend – 178 in seven games and then United came, and we had to defend 59," the Dutch tactician said in his press conference, blaming his side's shortcomings on the "playing styles we face." "It is definitely that teams have a certain playing style against us; it is a very good strategy to play. We have not found an answer yet." In an attempt to aggravate the Reds chief, the long balls have flowed since – and Brentford, in their 3-2 win over the reigning champions, played their highest percentage of long passes all season. But which sides, of all 20 which are plying their trade in the Premier League, have adopted the frowned-upon tactic the most? Using figures provided by the folks over at Sky Sports, we've taken a closer look. 20-11 Since the start of the campaign, Premier League newbies Burnley – managed by Scott Parker – have struggled to adapt to life in the England top flight. Teams that have faced them so far, including the likes of Manchester City and Aston Villa, have found it easy to run them, negating the need to go long. As a result, the Clarets have faced the lowest number of long balls (360). Unai Emery's Aston Villa and West Ham United, who have endured a change in manager in recent times, follow in 19th and 18th. They, respectively, have faced 390 and 393 long balls against opponents – perhaps showcasing how porous they are through the middle. The Hammers are looking like early relegation candidates with just one victory from their opening nine matches – and clubs have been allowed to slice through their midfield like a hot knife through butter, thus facing just 393 long balls in the opening stages of 2025/26. Looking to settle for top four credentials come May 2026, Enzo Maresca's Chelsea have faced 412 long balls from opponents thus far; Nottingham Forest, who are nearing the bottom of the 20-team Premier League table, have been subject to 421 and a Thomas Frank-less Brentford have had to deal with 424. GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Chelsea are the only club to have won four main UEFA club competitions, and the only London club to have won the UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup. Leeds United, like Burnley, are still coming to terms with playing top flight football. They've accrued 11 points in nine outings thus far and teams are not using the returning phenomenon of long ball football against Daniel Farke's men. Currently in 15th, they've faced 430 long balls. As have Fulham. Concluding the category are Tottenham Hotspur – the reigning champions of the Europa League – and David Moyes' Everton, having faced a respective 435 and 443 long balls since the campaign got underway in August. 10-1 Kickstarting the top ten, we have Oliver Glasner-led Crystal Palace. Their 19-match unbeaten streak only came to an end recently when Everton reigned triumphant on Hill Dickinson Stadium, and so it's safe to say that 2025/26 is going rather swimmingly following their success in the FA Cup, beating Manchester City in the final. Of the three sides that got promoted from the Championship last term, Sunderland are flying the highest under the guidance of Regis Le Bris – and the statistics perhaps highlight that, as teams are reverting to the long-ball strategy far less compared to Burnley and Leeds. All in all, they've faced 448 long balls. Manchester United have seldom been a team that have found their immense success by playing sexy football. The days of Ryan Giggs flying up the flank saw them dominate in transition and hit teams on the counter; they are now using long balls to the best of their ability, with Ruben Amorim's side attempting the most long balls thus far. On the flip side, the Red Devils have faced 452 themselves. As have rock-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers, which may come as a bit of a surprise as there are plenty of avenues team can visit to cut through the Old Gold. Up next, we have the table-topping Arsenal, whose defensively sound core means their competitors are often forced to go long in an attempt to find any sort of joy. Since the start of the campaign, Mikel Arteta's side have faced 471 long balls – four fewer than Brighton & Hove Albion. Pep Guardiola's Manchester City have faced the fourth-most long balls in the division (479) and the same can be said about Newcastle United, whose formidable midfield triumvirate of Sandro Tonali, Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes mean that teams are, instead, looking to play long ball. Bournemouth, under the watchful eye of boss Andoni Iraola, have become one of the toughest teams to play in the English top tier. The Cherries, who are chasing to finish in the top four for the first time in their history, have faced 525 long balls so far as teams look to beat them by pumping balls to their centre-backs. Slot – widely regarded as one of the best managers in world football – should not be surprised that Liverpool are facing a ton of long balls given they have a target on their back as the reigning champions of England. The Reds, whose majority of summer additions are yet to gel, have faced 571 long balls.
