Analysis
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Barcelona bounced back from a bitter “El Clasico” defeat last weekend with a convincing 3-1 win over Elche on Sunday. First-half goals from Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres put Hansi Flick’s side into a comfortable lead, before Rafa Mir pulled one back for the visitors before half time. Then, to no great surprise, none other than Marcus Rashford confirmed all three points for his new team with an impressive left-footed shot just after the hour mark. And that certainly wasn’t the first time that the England international has found the back of the net in LaLiga this season, nor will it likely be the last.
Rashford’s incredible form this season
Indeed, Rashford’s goal on Sunday puts the 28-year-old forward on six goals and seven assists in just 14 games for Barcelona this season and when we narrow that down to form in the Spanish top-flight it works out at seven goal contributions in just 11 games. Not only is that an impressive feat for any new player at a club that demands as much as Barcelona do, but it also points to a very impressive average of 0.88 goals and assists per 90 minutes of league football in Spain and suggests that Rashford may in fact be enjoying the best football of his career.
As we can see in the table above, the England forward’s average at Barcelona this season is not only a 40% increase on last season’s average of 0.63 goals and assists per 90 in the Premier League for Manchester United and Aston Villa, but is also better than the four league campaigns that came before that. In fact, the only season that can rival this one in terms of the sheer number of goals and assists Rashford is notching up on a weekly basis is the 2019/20 campaign, when Rashford bagged an incredible 26 goals and assists in the Premier League. That, unsurprisingly, was the forward’s best ever return in the red of Man Utd and since Rashford seems to be matching that impressive average at this moment in time, it suggests that he is perhaps enjoying the best football of his career at Barcelona this season.
How many goals and assists can Rashford score this season?
Rashford’s incredible start at Barcelona has not only endeared him to the Camp Nou faithful but will also inevitably lead to many wondering whether he could end up scoring more goals and picking up more assists in LaLiga this season than he ever has done in a single Premier League campaign. So if Rashford can keep up this form, how many goal contributions will he end up with at the end of the season?
Well, based on the fact that Barcelona have 27 league games left of the league campaign and that Rashford is currently averaging 65 minutes per game, it suggests that if Rashford can avoid injury or a dip in form that would see him dropped to the bench, he should complete another 1,765 minutes of league football this season. When we then factor that into his rate of goals and assists per 90 minutes of league football, it suggests that the England forward will score another 17 goals and assists and take his tally for the season to 24. Which would make this campaign the second best over the course of his career, coming second only to his success in the aforementioned 19/20 campaign.
However, there are some factors that could see that number go up or down. The most notable one is that Rashford’s increasingly impressive form will see his average minutes per game rise above 65 minutes and as a result allow him to pick up more game time. In theory, if the England striker were to play the full 90 minutes of all of Barcelona’s remaining league games and maintain his goal contribution average, he’ll finish the season on an incredible 31 goals and assists in LaLiga this season. Which, unsurprisingly, would comfortably beat his best ever return in the Premier League.
Another factor worth bearing in mind is injuries. While it’s impossible to predict a player’s rise or dip in form, we can note that over the course of the last five seasons Rashford has averaged around eight games missed through injury. When we factor that into the calculations, it brings Rashford’s game time down to around 1,045 remaining minutes of league football and suggests he’d finish the season on 17 goals and assists in LaLiga. Or, if he were to play the full 90 minutes of every remaining game, minus the eight injured games, it works out at 24 goals and assists in this campaign.
