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Iago Aspas
“The idea was that Aspas would give another dimension to our attacking play,” said Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers about new signing Iago Aspas in pre-season. Now a few months into his debut season in English football, Aspas is yet to do what his manager believed he could. Indeed, it has been tough for the 26-year-old so far.
He has failed to score in four starts and two further substitute appearances, a barren run that has taken its toll mentally. “Over the last four or five seasons I haven’t gone as many games as this without a goal,” he told Liverpool’s website back in September. “I’ve never been an out-and-out goalscorer, but it’s true that over the last three seasons I have scored quite a number of goals. I suppose on a personal level I’m not entirely happy as I would want to be because I still feel I can do better.”
But he has been unable to do better. A thigh injury suffered in mid-October helped make sure of that, adding to his frustration. Speaking to the club’s website again last week, he reiterated his desire to do better. “I think I can improve,” he said. “I am happy with the team’s level but not so much individually because I think I can do a lot better. First, I want to recover from my injury and afterwards I can use my qualities better and exploit them better as a centre-forward.”
Clearly, the Spaniard hasn’t written himself off. His manager hasn’t either. In fact, Rodgers leapt to his defence as focus came on his drought. “Iago is a good boy, an honest boy, and he’s obviously been thrown in a bit quicker than he’s had to have been,” Rodgers said after subbing him at half-time during the 1-0 home loss to Southampton. “But he’s a good guy, he’s working hard and trying his best, so hopefully over time he’ll get his goals and make the impact we think he can.”
This is a player who, though “not always easy on the eye,” according to Rodgers, impressed many in La Liga last season as he scored 12 goals and made seven assists, thus contributing to an amazing 51.4% of Celta Vigo’s goals scored, helping them to avoid relegation, albeit very narrowly (by one point). This is a player who created 69 chances for his club, enough to rank him ninth in the league.
A second-striker naturally, he is very mobile and versatile, capable of playing out wide in addition to through the middle. A very left-footed player, he loves trying to take on opponents, attempting to do so 114 times (an average of 3.4 times per game) last season. His vision is also quite good, that’s why he was able to create so many chances for his team-mates. He attempted 18 through balls, a very impressive 50% of which were completed.
These numbers paint a very clear picture of what Rodgers expected to get for £7.7 million: fluidity, good vision and link-up play, and technical quality. Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez are combining very well together at present, so well that they are the league’s joint top scorers with eight goals apiece. A fit and on-form Aspas would no doubt complement them, but he needs time–not only to regain his fitness, but to boost his confidence. His problems aren’t just physical, but mental too.
“When you are the player who scores goals, you want that goal to give you that confidence, and obviously he hasn’t got that yet,” Rodgers also told the Liverpool Echo regarding Aspas after the Southampton defeat.
When strikers experience goal droughts, sports psychologists recommend that they don’t focus on the lack of goals, but on their overall performance during games. They are to challenge for every ball, press their opponents, set up chances for their team-mates, keep getting into good goalscoring positions, and remain undeterred from shooting. Once they keep doing these things, they earn praise for their committed displays, thus boosting their confidence, and the goals eventually return. Aspas has been trying to put in all-action displays.
In his six appearances this season, he has attempted an average of 1.5 tackles and created an average of 1.2 chances per game, claiming one assist. However, worth noting is that he has attempted just two shots. Therein lies the problem. One doesn’t need to know psychology to understand that if you don’t shoot, you don’t score.
It’s not as though Aspas doesn’t know how to shoot. He shot at goal 86 times last season, enough to rank him ninth in La Liga. Thirty-seven of those attempts (43%) were from outside the penalty box. Yet, this season, he is averaging only one shot every three games, which is poor and goes a long way in explaining things. Once he gets fit and back on the pitch, this needs to be rectified.
He is a player full of quality, that’s for sure. But talent isn’t all that is required to succeed at the highest level. Athletes know–or, at least they should–that they need to be mentally strong as well. Once Aspas fortifies himself mentally, his performances on the pitch should gradually improve overall, and then the goals will eventually start to flow. The process will take time. He knows this, which is why he hasn’t written himself off. And he is right not to, because it is far too early.
