Match of the Day running order: Which Premier League teams get given featured game most often?
Gary Lineker opened up about the average positions of every Premier League club on Match of the Day last season during an episode of 'The Rest is Football' podcast
by Fasika Zelealem · Wales OnlineGary Lineker HAS revealed that Liverpool and Manchester City held the highest average position in the running order of Match of the Day last season.
This information was shared during a conversation with former England international Micah Richards on The Rest is Football podcast last week.
The discussion arose following criticism from Nottingham Forest fans who were upset their surprise 1-0 victory over Liverpool wasn't the first match shown on last Saturday's programme. Instead, Aston Villa's exciting 3-2 comeback win against Everton led the BBC show.
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Lineker defended the decision, stating: "If you're picking the game of the day, that probably just edged Forest, which we thought would definitely lead but that went second."
He further explained the rationale behind the show's running order, admitting a focus on title contenders towards the end of the season. He said: "If Forest were to beat Liverpool and they were in a title race and it was the last couple months of the season, that would definitely have gone first."
However, he added that since it was only the fourth game of the season, the best game was chosen, which he believed was Villa vs Everton, reports the Mirror.
During the podcast, the former England icon - armed with statistics - listed the average position in the running order for each Premier League club, with Liverpool, Manchester City, and Arsenal taking the top three spots.
Despite their demotion last season, Luton Town managed an average position of 10th, with fellow relegated side Burnley trailing at 11th. Brighton's attractive football under Roberto De Zerbi earned them many admirers in what was a disappointing season last year, but they only managed to secure 15th place in MOTD's running order average.