Blackburn Rovers slowly progressing in the EFL Championship table. They recently registered a 1-0 victory over Blackpool in their previous match. Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side sits fourth in the league table with 16 wins, four draws, and 13 losses. They are also on a five-match unbeaten streak. However, their position in the top six is not secured. Rovers have been poor on their travels, and this could cost them a chance to compete for a promotion. Blackburn Rovers are currently winless in their last five away matches. Their overall away record is also poor in comparison to the other teams ranked alongside them in the league table. We now look at some of the stats of the team that show why they are struggling in their away matches.
Season so far
Blackburn Rovers are facing a lot of competition to make it to the playoffs. They have won 16, drawn four, and lost 13 matches this season. Rovers have scored 35 goals and conceded 37. They are the only team in the top ten with a negative goal difference. The above pizza chart shows the percentile rank of the team in comparison to the other teams in the league. Blackburn Rovers have only rotated the ball nicely but have struggled in every other department on the field.
Struggles on their travels
Despite sitting in the top four, the team has one of the worst away records in the EFL Championship. Blackburn Rovers have only won five, drawn three, and lost nine matches. They have failed to win the last five away matches. The previous three matches ended in draws, while the other two ended in defeats.
Blackburn Rovers have struggled to find the back of the net on their travels. They have only scored 13 goals and averaged 0.72 xG per match. Overall, the team averages 8.3 shots with a 36.7% accuracy rate. On their travels, Rovers only take 7.06 shots on average and have a 35% accuracy rate. The above viz shows the shot map of the last five away matches. Blackburn Rovers have just attempted 33 shots with an average of 6.6 shots per match (36.36% accuracy). The shot map shows that Rovers have managed to penetrate the box from the left side but struggle from the right side. This poor goal-scoring form is one of the reasons behind their away form.
The team creates 22.75 positional attacks and 1.69 counterattacks per match. On their travels, the team has a low average of 19.65 positional attacks and 1.24 counterattacks. This is also a big concern for the manager.
Another reason behind these fewer shots is the recoveries in dangerous areas. Blackburn Rovers players make very few recoveries in the final third. They have made very few regains outside or inside the opposition penalty box.
Failures to reach the penalty box
Blackburn Rovers are decent with the ball at their feet. They average 416 passes per match on their travels and have an 81.4% accuracy rate. These include 45.06 passes to the final third with a 56.3% accuracy rate. The above viz shows the progressive passes attempted by the team in the last five matches. It can be observed that a lot of passes have been attempted on both flanks. However, only a few have managed to land inside the opposition penalty box. Looking at the number of passes attempted, the percentage of passes into the penalty box is quite low.
Struggles to defend
Blackburn Rovers have performed decently at the back. They have been strong at winning ground duels but struggle to win most of them in the air. The Rovers win 64.1% of defensive duels and 44.2% of aerial duels. On their travels, the win percentage is a bit similar. The major problem is that they take fewer shots and allow their opponents to take more. Overall, the team allows the opposition to take 10.97 shots. On the road, these opponents take 12.12 shots per match. The above viz shows the nine goals conceded by Blackburn Rovers in their last five away matches. The goalkeeper has saved the maximum number of shots that were straight at him. However, he struggled to keep the shots out that were targeted towards the corner. This is one of the concerns of the manager.
Betting Analysis
As per the 1×2 betting odds, Blackburn Rovers are likely to have a high odds win rate on their travels. The team struggles and there is more probability of them drawing the match than winning it.
Blackburn Rovers will look to improve their away record if they want to make it back to the English Premier League. They are struggling for goals and failing to get the result away from home. They face QPR and Stoke City in the next two away matches. The manager will demand a positive result from his team.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
