Rodrigo leads Premier League attacking stat, let down by Leeds United teammates
Leeds United misfit Rodrigo is the Premier League leader in a key attacking statistic that suggests his teammates have let him down, report Leeds Live.
The Whites’ record signing has been in and out of the side since his arrival at the start of last season, and is generally considered to have not lived up to expectations at Elland Road.
But according to stats from FB Ref the Spanish attacker leads the entire league in expected assists that have not been converted, implying that his perceived lack of output is more down to the rest of the United team.
The former Valencia forward has three expected assists and yet none of these chances have been scored by his teammates, putting him ahead of Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva as the man who has had the most creativity wasted.
Raphinha largely overshadows Rodrigo in Marcelo Bielsa’s squad but in terms of expected assists per 90 minutes played, the Spanish international also comes out on top there, with 0.27 compared to 0.23.
Misunderstood?
Although the 30-year-old has not hit the heights expected of him in Yorkshire, perhaps it is not purely his fault.
And the statistics suggest there was a reason that Barcelona were reportedly looking at a loan offer to bring him to the Camp Nou at the end of the transfer window (TeamTalk).
Three missing assists might not sound like much but considering star man Raphinha’s expected assists from considerably more game time is four it is considerable.
Tight margins can be the deciding factor in individual matches, so if those three expected assists had delivered three 1-0 wins the perspective of the former £27million man may be very different.
Tight margins can be the difference in a career as well, as maybe the confidence and the support they would have brought would have changed his whole story at Elland Road.
But 17th and 18th century politician George Canning is famously quoted as saying “I can prove anything with statistics except the truth” so perhaps this particular one gives the wrong impression.
It is everything outside of the creative areas that are seen to be the tactical issues for Rodrigo under Bielsa, but the numbers prove he has been offering more than he is credited with.
In other Leeds United news, this former Whites striker is worried about the risk of not making January signings.