PSG & Barca Falter on the Road while Wolves Finally Win
Our weekly round-up focusing on some of the significant streaks that have ground to a halt over the last few days sees WhoScored first turn our attentions to PSG. The Ligue 1 leaders were held at Bordeaux but, with none of the top six winning, results elsewhere went in their favour and they still lead France’s top division by three points. Barcelona slipped up at Athletic Bilbao, allowing Real Madrid to extend their lead at the top of La Liga to three points, while Wolves won a crucial basement battle in the Premier League to leave Wigan stranded:
Shot-Shy PSG - Match Centre vs Bordeaux
The big-spenders’ run of six straight wins came to a halt last weekend with a 1-1 draw at Bordeaux. PSG’s previous six games had seen them score 16 goals and concede just 4 and, led by the talents of Nene and Javier Pastore, they went into the game as clear favourites - Bordeaux had failed to win a single home game this season, picking up five draws and one loss in the previous six, whereas PSG had won three of their last four on the road.
PSG dominated possession with 56% of the play - more than their average 52% away from home - but were poor in terms of posing any significant goal threat. They average 13 goal attempts on their travels but against Bordeaux managed a mere 7 shots all game, with the hosts firing 6 attempts.
As expected, Nene and Pastore were the chief creators, with 2 key passes apiece, but neither produced an assist and both players had just 1 shot at goal all game. Pastore was particularly off-form, his single goal attempts was off target and he failed to produce a single successful dribble - so far, he’s averaged 1.5 per game.
Kevin Gameiro was also a big disappointment - so far this season, he’s averaged 3.5 shots per game but at Bordeaux, he had 1 shot, off target, and received a match rating of 5.98 from WhoScored, the worst of any visiting player - this was the third game in a row he failed to score.
Valdes Finally Beaten - Match Centre vs Bilbao
Barca arrived at Bilbao with Victor Valdes in sensational form; the keeper had recorded nine clean sheets in all competitions but a twentieth-minute opener by Ander ended his record-breaking run. This was no easy game for Pep Guardiola’s side - Bilbao were unbeaten in their previous six and are improving with every game under new coach Marcelo Bielsa. In a match clearly affected by the rain-soaked conditions, the champions showed plenty of spirit to twice come from behind, with Lionel Messi saving their unbeaten league start in injury time.
Barca controlled the game with 63% possession, though this was less than their usual 69% on the road. Much of this was down to their hosts’ incredible work-rate - Bilbao made 20 tackles and 22 interceptions to Barca’s 10 and 16 respectively, showing a determination and will-to-win that the champions struggled to combat. Nevertheless, Guardiola’s side had 16 shots - more than their average 14 on the road - with 9 on target but were denied time and again by the heroics of Gorka Iraizoz (7 saves) between the Bilbao posts. The hosts, on the other hand, had just 4 shots all game but managed to score twice, with Fernando Llorente adding a second with ten minutes to go.
Cesc Fabregas grabbed Barca’s first goal with his only shot of the game - it highlights his importance already to his new side since moving from Arsenal in the summer, with Fabregas scoring 5 goals and producing 4 assist from just 8 appearances. Messi, as usual, was the star performer; 4 shots, 4 key passes and an incredible 8 successful dribbles tormented the home side throughout - his last-minute equaliser was his seventh goal in his last three matches. This was the third draw in five away games for Guardiola’s side, however, and with Real Madrid winning 7-1 earlier in the day, Jose Mourinho was the real winner here.
Wolves’ Hunger Proves Key - Match Centre vs Wigan
Sunday’s match at Molineux was between the Premier League’s two most out-of-sorts sides. Wolves and Wigan had both started the season in respectable fashion and after three games each, were undefeated. The following seven rounds of matches, however, brought a mere two points between the pair - Wolves lost five and drew two of their following fixtures, while Wigan had tasted defeat seven times in succession.
Wolves tend not to dominate home matches and again this proved the case - their average is 49% and Wigan resultantly edged possession, with 52%, better than their average away ratio of 48%. The home side was the more tenacious of the two, though; with 26 tackles to 19 highlighting their battling qualities - David Edwards and Richard Stearman produced 10 tackles between them down the right hand side, with Edwards also making 6 interceptions. Mohamed Diame was unlucky to be on the losing side- the Wigan midfielder made more tackles (8) and key passes (4) than any player on the pitch.
We pointed out Wigan’s poor finishing last week and this continued against Mick McCarthy’s side - they had 17 shots, with 7 on target and found the net just once, from a rebounded penalty. Their front three – Franco Di Santo, Victor Moses and Hugo Rodallega - had 8 shots between them, with 2 on target and no goals.
Wolves were more accurate - 10 of their 13 attempts were on target and the game could have been a far higher scoring affair if it wasn’t for the two keepers; Wayne Hennessey made 6 saves for Wolves, while Ali Al-Habsi produced 7 for the visitors. Jamie O’Hara was the main goal threat for the hosts - the midfielder had 5 goal attempts, with 4 on target, and found the net once. David Edwards added to his brilliant defensive display with 4 shots and a goal in the crucial 3-1 win.
Roberto Martinez’s side may be easy on the eye and are clearly capable of creating plenty of chances but the bottom line is they seem completely unable to convert them; Moses and Rodallega now have 57 shots between them without scoring. The Latics are now five points off fourth-bottom Everton and unless they rediscover their confidence in front of goal, the pack could leave them behind.
