Clint Dempsey has revealed he goes to bed “dreaming of stats” because of Lawrie Sanchez’s obsession with playing percentage football.
The Cottagers visit Liverpool tomorrow seeking to end the worst away record in the Premier League.
But Dempsey said stat-attack Sanchez reckons the key to success at home or way is playing football by numbers and getting the ball forward in direct style.
“He always makes us aware of stats,” said Dempsey. “There are stats that are put on the walls of the training ground: so many percentage of goals conceded when you concede the ball in your own half, when you concede on set plays, and the percentage you can score with the first touch. You go to bed dreaming of stats. When you go in, there are these little marks for every one. He is a kind of a stats coach and sometimes the stats don’t lie.”
Dempsey scored his first goal for Fulham against Liverpool last April to give Sanchez his first Premier League win – and keep the club in the top flight.
And he showed his knack for scoring important goals by getting the crucial second against Reading last week to give Fulham their second win of the season.
But the worst Fulham stat is they have not won away from home since Newcastle in September last year.
“Everybody knows that stat,” Dempsey added. “I don’t know how many games it’s been but we are going to get that monkey off our back. It’s a gorilla. It’s King Kong. Hopefully we can finish on that one.”
