Turning the home field into a "fortune" was once a prerequisite for all Premier League championship ambitions. But at the present time, the question is whether the home field advantage is still as significant as before.
In the past two weeks in the Premier League, only 4/21 matches ended with victories for the home team - equivalent to 19%. The rare names that have taken advantage of that are Manchester City, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa.
The list of teams facing difficulties at home is getting longer and longer. Tottenham Hotspur just lost 1-4 to Arsenal and have only had two home wins this season. Tottenham and Chelsea are in the group of 6 teams with lower home average points than away. Chelsea's late 1-1 draw against Burnley is the eighth time in 14 home matches this season they have dropped points.
The home win rate for the whole league is only 42% - the fifth lowest level in Premier League history. But in fact, the downward trend has been going on for a long time.
Since the Football League was born in 1888, the home win rate once peaked at 65% in 1895. Since then, this number has gradually decreased by about 1/3, to 42% this season.
The draw rate was once at 12% in 1890, rising to a peak of 32% in 1973 before falling back due to a sharp increase in the away win rate. From a low of 16% in 1901, the away win rate is now 31%. And this trend has accelerated significantly in the past decade.
The 2020-2021 season affected by COVID-19 was a major turning point. When matches took place without spectators, the away win rate (40%) for the first time exceeded the home win rate (38%) in league history.
Playing away from home is no longer as a difficult journey as in the early 20th century. Convenient travel, good accommodation conditions and professional logistics preparation help away teams significantly reduce disadvantages.
Top teams are supported by advanced sports science systems, helping to optimize fitness and tactics, whether at home or away.
Previously, the yard size could vary greatly (91-119m long, 46-91m wide), creating a significant advantage for the home team. Currently, UEFA standards (100-105m and 64-68m) help reduce differences, while modern grass surface technology ensures uniform quality.
The 2020-2021 season without spectators shows that fans are still an important factor. However, another question arises: are stadiums today still as "hostile" as before?
At Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and some other clubs, instability from the stands sometimes puts back pressure on the home team. 3 of the teams with the worst home record this season - Everton, Spurs and West Ham - are all playing at new or relatively new stadiums, raising the opinion that familiarity still plays an important role.
The home field advantage has not disappeared, but has weakened significantly. In the modern football environment - where everything is standardized, analyzed and optimized - the gap between home and away fields is increasingly narrowing.
The question is no longer whether home field has an advantage or not, but which team is brave and stable enough to turn that advantage into points.
