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Stats uncover Barcelona forward’s Jekyll-and-Hyde game against Mallorca

FC Barcelona turned on the style against Mallorca in La Liga, securing their first win in four league games. While the team struggled to convert their chances in the first half, they stepped up in the second, clinching a dominant 5-1 victory.

Hansi Flick’s men got off the blocks rather quickly with Ferran Torres pouncing on a Mallorca mistake at the back to give the team a 1-0 lead. The Spaniard was a surprise starter for the team on the night, replacing Robert Lewandowski and leading the Barcelona frontline.

Despite getting the game’s first goal, Ferran’s performance was a mixed bag. He should have had a hattrick if not more just in the first half of the game and his first touch often ensured he made easy chances look very difficult.

As per stats from SofaScore, Ferran netted the goal but he also had one other shot on target and two shots off target. He also had one big chance missed during his hour, was odd on the pitch, and had a shot blocked. It was truly a Jekyll and Hyde performance.

He recorded an xD of 0.64 but did not attempt any dribbles. Unlike Robert Lewandowski, Ferran did not drop deep nor did he have the physicality to hold up play, recorded just 26 touches, and completed eight of his 13 attempted passes.

As always, his defensive commitment was never in question, winning two out of four ground duels and pressing from the front. His performance however was pretty much in line with how his entire career has been – hit and miss.

The counterargument to Ferran’s performance is that one has to get into those attacking positions to miss the chances that he missed. Lewandowski might not have gotten into those positions as many times as the Spaniard did on the night.

Ferran is a very useful squad player to have but he needs to step up his finishing. Let’s wait and see how things go for the Spanish forward going forward and hopefully, he can find his shooting boots soon.