'Variety is the spice and we tailor tactics to opponents and situation'

AS PREMIER LEAGUE OBSERVERS SPOT A SHIFT TOWARDS A FASTER, MORE DIRECT APPROACH, BOSS LAMPARD SAYS VARIATION AND BALANCE - WHILE RETAINING YOUR CORE IDENTITY - HAS ALWAYS BEEN HIS GOAL AT COVENTRY CITY

- By ANDY TURNER

THERE'S a growing trend in football with more and more teams in the Premier League shifting away from a possession-based game and going longer and more direct.

That includes the increased use of long throw-ins into the box where there were at least two examples in the top flight last weekend from Sunderland and Brentford scoring from second balls in the area following launched missiles from the side lines. The Sky Blues’ second goal against Watford was also as a result of Milan van Ewijk’s long throw which was half cleared to Jamie Allen to thump home.

According to latest figures, there are now fewer passes per game in the Premier League, with an average of 850 now compared to more than 940 - the lowest it’s been in 15 years. There's also more man-to-man marking, more high pressing and more going long from the goalkeeper as well as the use of long throws which cause chaos in the box and are so hard to defend because the second contact is so unpredictable.

Blackburn Rovers' boss Valerien Ismael set out his team to press high and go man for man when City beat them 2-0 at the CBS Arena recently.