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Hello and Welcome back to our assessment of the race to the Pichichi Trophy for the month of February 2019. The La Liga table has started to take shape and there are finally familiar faces in the top three. Barcelona have maintained the distance between them and the rest of the league at the top, while Atletico Madrid are close on their heels in second. Real Madrid have also managed to climb up to third, even though they are 10 points behind Barcelona.
Also Read: Top Contenders for the La Liga Golden Boot: January 2018
The absence of a Real Madrid player in the top 10 is still surprising, but Karim Benzema misses out only by virtue of an inferior goals per game ratio. There has been significant changes in rankings of the contenders for the La Liga Golden Boot and the difference from the top and the both of the race is increasing rapidly. Today we take a look at the top contenders for the La Liga Golden Boot at the start of February.
#10 Andre Silva (Portugal, Seville)
Goals Scored - 9
The Portuguese had slipped further down the rankings and is now in danger of dropping out of the race. Andre Silva managed just one goal in the entire month of January and as such, is at the bottom of the pile right now.
After failing to score in December, the 23-year-old continued his goal drought in the first three matches after the winter break, which included a draw against Atletico Madrid and two back to back defeats against Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid. When it looked like he would draw a blank in January as well, Silva redeemed himself, scoring in the 5-0 win over Levante at home.
The Portuguese is currently averaging a goal every 190 minutes played. He has registered 40 shots, 23 of which have been on target. Silva has 9 goals from 20 games played and with a goals-per-game average of 0.45, he is 10th in the race to the La Liga Golden Boot.
Also see : Copa America Standings, Copa America Schedule
#9 Maximiliano Gomez (Uruguay, Celta de Vigo)
Goals Scored - 9
The Uruguayan dropped down the ranks from 7th at the start of January due to a lack of form in front of goal, while his team experienced the worst run in the entire season. He set up Beltran to score the equalizer against Athletic Bilbao at the start of the month, however, Celta Vigo lost the game 1-2.
Gomez scored in the next game against Real Vallecano, but Celta Vigo lost the game 2-4. The Uruguayan failed to score in the next two games, against Valencia and Real Valladolid and his team lost both games.
He is averaging a goal every 178 minutes played and has scored 9 goals from 19 games. The Uruguayan has a goals-per-game ratio of 0.47 and has registered 32 shots, 16 of which have been on target.
At the start of February, Gomez is 9th in the race to the La Liga Golden Boot, however, he needs a strong showing in the coming months to stay in the race
#8 Raúl de Tomás (Spain, Rayo Vallecano)
Goals Scored - 9
The Spaniard is a new name in this list and is a part of the race due to his fantastic performance in January. He scored 4 goals in the 4 games in the month, a period where his team won 3 and drew one game.
At the start of the year, de Tomas drew a blank as Rayo Vallecano won 1-0 away to Real Valladolid. He then scored a fantastic hat-trick in the following game, as his team defeated Celta Vigo 4-2 at home. In the next game against Real Sociedad, de Tomas failed to score again as the game ended in a draw. Last weekend, he scored the only goal of the game as his team won 1-0 away to Alaves.
The 24-year-old is averaging a goal every 163 minutes played and has a goals-per-game ratio of 0.5. He has recorded 51 shots, 28 of which have been on target. With 9 goals from 18 games, de Tomas is 8th in the race to the La Liga Golden Boot.
#7 Roger Marti (Spain, Levante)
Goals Scored - 9
Roger Marti scored just one goal in the month of January and the nature of the competition right now is so severe that he had dropped two places as a result.
The Spaniard failed to score against Girona and then against Atletico Madrid, but found the back of the net in the match against Real Valladolid, where he came off the bench to score. He came off the bench against Sevilla last weekend, but failed to make a mark as his team were humiliated 0-5 away from home.
He is averaging a goal every 130 minutes now and has a goals-per-game ratio of 0.5. He has recorded 33 shots on target so far, 20 of which have been on target. With 9 goals from 18 games, the Spaniard is 7th in the race to the La Liga Golden Boot at the start of February.
#6 Antoine Griezmann (France, Atletico Madrid)
Goals Scored - 10
The Frenchman picked up the pace at the end of last year and continued his fine goal scoring run in the month of January to make his entry in this list for the first time.
Griezmann started the year with a goal against Sevilla as Atletico Madrid secured a 1-1 draw away from home. He then scored the only goal of the game in the next match, at home against Levante. He missed out from scoring in the following game against Huesca, but did pick up an assist as Atletico won 3-0. Last weekend he scored against Getafe again.
As of now, the Frenchman has 10 goals from 21 games in the league, and is averaging a goal every 182 minutes played. He has a goals-per-game ratio of 0.42 and has recorded 51 shots so far, 29 of which has been on target.
Even though he has taken his time, the Frenchman has reached double figures in the league once again and should build on his recent performances to pile the pressure on the men ahead of him. At the start of February, Antoine Griezmann is 6th among the contenders for the La Liga Golden Boot.
#5 Wissam Ben Yedder (France, Sevilla FC)
Goals Scored - 10
The Frenchman started the year on a high, scoring in the 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid in the first game after the winter break. However, he drew a blank in the next 2 games, and Sevilla lost both games to Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid. Last weekend, he scored one goal as Sevilla put 5 past Levante at home.
Ben Yedder now has 10 goals from 18 appearances in the league and is averaging a goal every 136 minutes played. His goals per game ratio is 0.56 and he has recorded 35 shots so far, 18 of which have been on target. His recent change in fortune has seen him jump up one places in the rankings at the start of this month. He is currently 5th among the contenders for the La Liga Golden Boot, but will need to step up his efforts if he hopes to catch the leaders
#4 Iago Aspas (Spain, Celta de Vigo)
Goals Scored - 10
The Spaniard picked up a calf injury at the end of last year and has not played a single minute in the new year. However, his goals per game ratio and minutes per goal are still enough to see of the competition right now, as none of the men ranked below him were able to capitalize on his absence.
Aspas has scored 10 goals from 17 goals and has a goals-per-game ratio of 0.59. He is averaging a goal every 144 minutes played so far and had been piling up the pressure on the men ahead of him for some time now. However, his injury had halted his run and has also affected his team, who have lost all four games in the month in his absence.
We will be hoping that the Spaniard will be back soon, but as of no,w he is 4th in the race to the La Liga Golden Boot.
#3 Cristhian Stuani (Uruguay, Girona FC)
Goals Scored - 12
The Uruguayan had faltered in December, which had seen him drop down in the race. January did not bring a change of luck for Stuani and as a result he had slipped down to third at the start of February.
His discipline has been a problem of late and it would come to haunt him at the turn of the new year. Stuani failed to score in the first game of the month against Levante, but picked up a yellow card in the 35th minute. He gave his team the lead against Alaves in the next game, only for the game to end in a draw. He picked up his 5th yellow card of the season in the 61st minute and missed the following game against Real Betis, which Girona lost.
He was back in the starting eleven against Barcelona, but failed to score as his team lost 0-2. With 12 goals from 18 games, Stuani is third in the race to the La Liga Golden Boot at the start of Feruary. He is averaging a goal every 123 minutes played, but will need a strong showing this month to close the gap to the top.
#2 Luis Suarez (Uruguay, Barcelona)
Goals Scored - 15
It is familiar territory at the top of the table, as Luis Suarez has managed to retain his goalscoring form in the new year. The Uruguayan had a stellar month and as such secured the second spot with ease at the start of February.
He started the month by scoring the winner against Getafe and followed that up with a Man of the Match showing against SD Eibar. Suarez scored a brace and set up Messi to score the other in a 3-0 win. In the next game against Leganes, he scored his fourth goal of the month and helped his team to a 3-1 win. Last weekend against Girona, he could not get on the scoresheet as Barcelona won 2-0.
The Uruguayan is averaging a goal every 115 minutes and has a goals-per-game ratio of 0.75. He has recorded 60 shots, with 36 of them on target. Suarez has won the Golden Boot before and that knowledge of the rigours of the race might help him in the coming months.
#1 Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona)
Goals Scored - 19
Games played 19, Goals scored 19. Lionel Messi has been in inspired form so far this season. He has already scored 27 goals from 26 games in all competitions and has 17 assists to his name too.
The Argentine started the month with a goal against Getafe, then followed that up with another against SD Eibar, as his team won both games. He started the game against Leganes from the bench but had to come on in the second half to score one and set up another to help Barcelona win 3-1. Last weekend he scored another goal against Girona.
The fact that he has already registered 12 assists in La Liga shows what a beast he is on the pitch! The Argentinean is averaging a goal every 80 minutes played and has recorded a league-high 74 shots, 47 of which have been on target.
With 19 goals from 19 games in La Liga, Lionel Messi, as usual, is the top contender for the Pichichi Trophy again and he will not be giving up that lead easily.
