Raw Numbers: Frank Lampard's Passing Against Stoke (Away)

"Yes! I made one successful pass into Stoke's penalty box!"

In football, numbers tell a story. The story may not be complete but it certainly deserves our attention. Whether it is the number of shots a striker took or the number of tackles a defender made, numbers can describe a scene of a complex drama that is a football game. Sometimes, they can point to things that we didn’t notice watching the game.

In “Raw Numbers,” I examine how a player or a group of players perform a certain aspect of a game – passing, shooting, tackling, and so on. I go deep into the numbers and present them without any commentary. The numbers will speak for themselves. You can interpret them as you wish.

This week, I give you Frank Lampard's passing numbers in the 2011-2012 season-opening away game against Stoke City. [Note: I collected the raw data from Guardian Chalkboard. The direction of the passes, the areas where passes were received and the players who received the passes were determined by examining each pass manually. So, there is a slight chance for human error. #NotExactScience] 

Every passes that Frank Lampard executed against Stoke City

Total Number of Passes: 66

Successful Passes: 52 (78.8%)

Unsuccessful Passes: 14 (21.2%)

Direction of Lampard's Successful Passes

Highest Number of Successful Backward Passes Made To: Mikel (6)
Highest Number of Successful Forward Passes Made To: Torres (9)
Highest Number of Successful Forward Passes In Opposition's Half Made To: Malouda (8)

Areas Where Lampard's Successful Forward Passes Were Received

Successful Forward Passes Made Towards Opposition's Half: 26
Successful Forward Passes Made Towards The Last Quarter Of Opposition's Half: 4

Successful Forward Passes Made Into Opposition's Penalty Box: 1 (pass received by Alex)

Successful Passes Made To Attacking Players*: 27
Successful Forward Passes Made To Attacking Players*: 25
Successful Forward Passes Made To Attacking Players* In Opposition's Half: 20
Successful Forward Passes Made To Attacking Players* In Opposition's Penalty Box: 0
* Torres, Malouda, Kalou, Anelka and Drogba were considered as "Attacking Players" in this game.

Lampard's Unsuccessful Passes Against Stoke City

Unsuccessful Passes: 14

Unsuccessful Passes Into The Opposition's Penalty Box: 8

Carefree, wherever you may be...