Newcastle United have been ranked as the second least dominant side in European football this season when it comes to passing.
According to research carried out by CIES, United are struggling to dominate games when it comes to passes in the opposition third, while at the same time are being overrun by the opposing sides in their own third.
The stats were compiled for passes achieved in opponent third vs passes conceded in own third, and United came in the second bottom when it comes to a ratio made up of both averages.
The Magpies on average made 71 passes in the opponent’s third, versus 175 by the opponents in their own third - a ratio of 0.41.
Across European football, only Hamilton recorded a worse ratio of 0.39.
Manchester City top the rankings with an average of 210 passes achieved, and conceding only 59 - a ratio of 3.55.
On the face of it, it looks like a bad thing but Newcastle's position in the league tells you that while they've set up as a counter-attacking team, they've actually been pretty clinical.
