In a throwaway comment at his press conference on Tuesday, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou explained why he feels the assist is “the most useless statistic in world football.”
The ball could deflect off someone’s backside near the halfway line, he explained, only for a second player to pick it up, do the rest, and score a solo goal. The assister, in that instance, has barely had an involvement in the goal and yet receives more credit through the assist stat than they deserve, Postecoglou said.
