Football Ground Map
Football Ground Map
A fortress is a place where other teams are scared to visit. They are so daunted by the prospect that they are beaten in the tunnel before a ball has been kicked. When you think of the biggest and most intimidating venues in the United Kingdom, a few of the usual suspects spring to mind. Whether it's Anfield or Old Trafford, a select few have picked up a reputation for being stingy, discouraging the opposing team with a mixture of awe and menace. You won't be surprised to hear that some things haven't changed. However, you might be shocked at a few of the other stadiums that make the list.
Since the start of the 2008-09 season, Man City have managed to pick up an average of 2.36 points per game at home, more than any other team in the English game's top flight. Only Manchester United compares, yet even they have struggled to match the dominance of the Barcelona-inspired team who are now managed by Pep Guardiola. Under Guardiola's tutelage, the fortress Etihad has become even harder to defeat as the former Barcelona man has a points per game total of 2.33 in the Premier League. When you factor in the points they have dropped away, it only heightens how impressive City are at home, which is reflected in how totalizators provide such short odds for their fixtures at the Etihad!
If you want to talk about modern fortresses, you can't excuse Anfield. Whereas the moon-like atmosphere at Old Trafford has only seen their Mancunian rivals plummet down the title-challenging hierarchy, Liverpool's fortunes have been on the up. They have currently gone 63 games without being beaten at home, a record that equals Paisley's greats of 1978-81. The last team to win at Anfield was Crystal Palace when they left 2-1 victors. However, since then, Klopp's men have taken 103 victories from 163 games at home, and the German manager has a current record of 2.17 points per game, more than Sir Alex Ferguson.
Liverpool's attempt at greatness is impressive, but the Scousers still have a long way to go to match the all-time Premier League record set by Chelsea between March 2004 and October 2008. In that time, the West Londoners managed to go on an 86-game unbeaten home run that saw them win back-to-back domestic titles and a couple of cup competitions for good measure. Of course, Jose Mourinho will take the bulk of the credit for making the Bridge the most difficult place for visiting clubs in Premier League history as he was the man in charge of the majority of the success. However, the fact that Chelsea now has a home points per game total of 2.24 is also down to the stellar work of Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte, two Italians that delivered silverware and came out of the shadow of the Special One.
Leicester isn't a club that instantly springs to mind, but the team is a former Premier League champion. Not only that, but they are currently top of the league after winning six of their eight fixtures this season. They've managed to win at home three times in all competitions so far in 2020 and have a points per game of 1.89, the seventh-best in England and Wales. Certainly a fortress in the making to watch out for this season.
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