Mahrez winner can be catalyst for improvement
CITY have finally reclaimed top spot in the Premier League from Liverpool outright for the first time since December.
The 1-0 away victory over a highly defensive Bournemouth side sealed the three points required, but the win was bittersweet.
Kevin De Bruyne, arguably the talisman of the centurions last season, limped off the pitch on the stroke of half time with what appeared to be an issue with his hamstring. On the day, Riyad Mahrez was the man to replace De Bruyne, and he ultimately ended up scoring the winning goal.
The £60m man has featured somewhat infrequently since arriving from Leicester City in the summer, but can he potentially be the player to pick up the mantle?
The Algerian has failed to have the impact that the club would have initially desired when signing him.
The attacker arrived in Manchester as the seventh most expensive transfer in Premier League history, but he has completed 90 minutes in the league just four times since the move.
Before his goal against Bournemouth, Mahrez hadn’t scored in the league since facing Watford at the start of December. Since that match, he’s remained on the bench four times without being used, he’s been absent from the matchday squad once, and he’s appeared as a substitute six times.
Pep Guardiola’s decision to use Mahrez infrequently is justified somewhat when focusing on his underlying numbers. Expected Goals (xG) provides an insight into the chances that a player is presented with without considering whether those chances are actually scored or not. Goals and assists are often used to judge players, but those two purely consider outcomes and results, rather than the story beforehand and what happens when chances aren’t finished.
Modernly, xG is being further broken down to be attributed to every single possession that a player is involved in, rather than solely chances. In this case, the higher the figure, the more dangerous the player is with the ball in essence. For example, Lionel Messi is the highest scoring Barcelona player in this area, followed by Luis Suarez.
When focusing on Man City, Mahrez’s performance per 90 minutes has him below De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Leroy Sane, David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and even Phil Foden, although the youngster has played very few minutes.
Consequently, it’s perhaps no surprise that Mahrez has featured sporadically, as it appears he’s influencing scoring less than every attacker he’s competing with in the squad.
Ultimately, Guardiola will hope that Mahrez’s recent goal provides the boost that he needs, because when focusing on the Algerian’s underlying numbers, it appears he’s the least dangerous in an attacking sense with the ball in comparison to other options.
If the £60m man is to become more involved as a result of De Bruyne’s injury, he’ll have to improve to ensure that the title remains in Manchester.