It's safe to say the 2017 season has not gone the way the LA Galaxy expected.
Well out of the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoff race, the Galaxy are coming off consecutive 4-0 losses -- one at home and one on the road -- and frustration is high.
“I can make a run, but if your teammate doesn’t see you then your run doesn’t matter,” said star Galaxy attacker Giovani dos Santosafter Wednesday's loss to Atlanta United. “There are a couple things right now that we’re still building on. If you see last year, I remember my numbers were different. This time, I’m working harder than last year. I’m making good runs, but not getting recognition from the team.
“It’s difficult. When you don’t get shots, you can’t expect great things,” he continued. “Everyone knows what we want. Especially it’s frustrating [for me] because I know people look at me while I’m on the pitch. It’s difficult, but you have to understand the situation as a team. We just need to keep working to come back stronger next game.”
It's obvious that dos Santos' main stats, goals and assists, are down this year (six goals, one assist in 20 appearances in 2017, compared to 14 goals and 12 assists in 28 appearances last year). But what about the finer-grained statistics? Does he have a case that he's not getting enough support from his teammates?
Thanks to Opta, here are some of dos Santos' advanced statistics in MLS play this season.
Category |
2016 |
2017 |
|---|---|---|
Goals per 90 |
0.48 |
0.31 |
Assists per 90 |
0.41 |
0.26 |
Shots per 90 |
2.25 |
2.36 |
Chances created per 90 |
1.67 |
1.70 |
Passes per 90 |
28.61 |
36.08 |
Passing accuracy (percent) |
85.24 |
88.03 |
Big chances created per 90 |
0.20 |
0.15 |
Dribbles completed per 90 |
0.58 |
0.87 |
Shots in box per 90 |
1.16 |
1.13 |
What are your thoughts on dos Santos' claims? Do you agree or disagree? Let us know in the comments below.
