Barcelona have a short squad this season, and with injuries piling up, Xavi Hernandez will be grateful that many of them are in form. In particular he will be asking for more from Ferran Torres in the coming weeks.
The former Manchester City winger came on for Robert Lewandowski in midweek, and converted his first chance against Portu with impressive composure. With Lewandowski ruled out for the next month, and Raphinha still several weeks away from his return, Torres is likely to get a run of games.
MD point out that nobody is in better form in front of goal. The Porto strike was his fourth this season, but having appeared for just 354 minutes, he is averaging one every 88.5 minutes. He is also outperforming his xG by two goals so far this season.
Last campaign he struggled from start to finish, spurning some simple chances and failing to find a role within the side. Scoring 7 in total, he averaged just 0.33 goals per game, whereas currently he is over three times that rate, as per FBref.
Over half way to equalling last season’s total, with a run of games now Torres could make a strong claim for a starting spot, although it seems likely that he will be out of position. Looking sharp and confident, his presence could be gold dust for Xavi in the coming weeks.
