Spanish giants FC Barcelona had a season to forget. They finished third in the Group C table of the UEFA Champions League 2021-22 season and will feature in the UEFA Europa League. They had a managerial change in between and now play under the guidance of former Barcelona midfielder Xavi. Their biggest concern was scoring goals, and the club only scored two goals in the group stage. Memphis Depay was unable to contribute towards scoring goals and the Dutch international player’s European form is a concern for the manager.
Memphis Depay attempted six shots in six group stage matches. He averaged one shot per match and managed to attempt half of the shots from inside the opposition’s penalty box. He has created an xG rate of 0.32 and was unable to hit the target. Depay attempted one shot against Bayern Munich, two against Dynamo Kyiv, and three against Benfica.
The above viz shows the heatmap of Memphis Depay in six games. The Dutch International has featured more from the left side. His heat zones hint that the player had played all over the pitch inside the opposition’s half. The player has featured as a number nine for the Spanish club and likes to operate more from his natural left-wing position. He has taken 23 touches inside the opposition’s penalty box. Depay has made eight recoveries, and seven recoveries were made inside the opposition’s half.
Depay is yet to provide an assist this season. He has attempted 228 passes and averages 38 passes per match. His expected assist rate is 1.97, more than the expected goal rate. He created the highest xG rate against Dynamo Kyiv in the third round of the matches. The above pass map shows that his 31 passes landed inside the opposition’s 18-yard box. Out of these 31 passes, six landed inside the opposition’s 6-yard box. His passing variety includes six smart passes, four through passes, 18 crosses, and two long passes.
Memphis Depay has drifted a lot towards the left side. From his statistics, it looks like the player carries more threats from his passes and fewer threats from shots attempted. He has attempted five of the six shots from the left side and will look to attack from his favorite side. Depay is also on penalties for Barcelona and has a good conversion rate. The manager will expect better performances from him in the UEFA Europa League.
