Should Bengaluru FC be concerned by Raphael Augusto's poor form?
Raphael Augusto’s form has been on a downward curve for quite some time now. His lack of goals and assists in recent months is starting to become a concern for the Bengaluru FC faithful.
Perhaps, Bengaluru's goalscoring woes this season has been exacerbated by Augusto’s awful league form. The Brazilian has started all seven games for Bengaluru FC this season and has registered just one assist. Even FC Goa centre back Mourtada Fall has provided more assists than the Bengaluru attacking midfielder this term.
Numbers define potent attacking midfielders. Augusto’s game is seriously lacking the end product and at the moment that is exactly what his team needs.
When compared to the other attacking midfielders in the league, Augusto’s statistics are frighteningly inferior.
Augusto has just 6 goals and 7 assists from his 5517 minutes in the Indian Super League. As an average, that’s a goal every 919 minutes, an assist every 788 minutes, and a direct contribution (goal or assist) every 424 minutes.
That is some way short of Marcelinho, who during his four seasons in the Indian Super League has scored 26 goals and registered 16 assists. As an average, that’s a goal every 168 minutes, an assist every 274 minutes, and a direct contribution (goal or assist) every 104 minutes.
Augusto also falls short of Federico Gallego, another standout attacking midfielder, who has provided a goal or assist every 191 minutes (4 goals and 5 assists) from his 1721 minutes in the ISL.
At the very least, statistics suggest Augusto simply should be contributing more to goals when his playing as a number ten.
However, it is worth pointing out that the Brazilian does have other qualities The midfielder sets the example in terms of attitude and commitment with his work rate second to none. He’s skillful, has good close-ball control, can dribble effectively and has the nous for keeping hold of the ball in important situations. It means Augusto provides a sturdy platform from which the rest can flourish.
No one is insinuating that Augusto is in any way a bad player but it is clear Augusto is not the best of scorers in front of the goal compared to other attacking midfielders in the league.
Six goals from 109 shots is a poor return and it's a statistic that has long frustrated fans. Maybe, Carles Cuadrat should have looked at the stats before recruiting the attacking midfielder or maybe, he did. He thought he could get more out of the Brazilian.