Barcelona have fallen behind Brighton, Aston Villa this season; this stat proves why

Barcelona have had a topsy-turvy 2019-20 season thus far. Remarkably, they find themselves at the top of the LaLiga table, level on points with Real Madrid. The Blaugrana have heavily relied on the goal-scoring prowess of the legendary Lionel Messi. He has been at his very best, despite a few injury niggles at the start of this season. However, this shocking stat from FourFourTwo reveals just exactly how bad Barcelona have been in the last 10 months.

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Brighton, Aston Villa boast better stats in front of goal as compared to Barcelona

The LaLiga defending champions are currently averaging 12.2 shots per game, as calculated by journalist Thore Haugstad of FourFourTwo. As a result, Barcelona find themselves below the likes of Real Madrid, Villarreal, Sevilla, Real Betis, Atletico Madrid and Osasuna in terms of shots taken per game. When you consider Europe’s top five leagues, Aston Villa (who are in a relegation battle to remain in the Premier League) average 12.8 shots per match. Meanwhile, Brighton and Southampton (two teams who are also in the lower half of the Premier League table) also have more shots on target per game as compared to Barcelona. Genoa, who are second-last in the Serie A after 18 matches, have taken 12.9 shots per game this season. Of the 98 sides in Europe's top five divisions, Barcelona rank 57th for shots per game this campaign. Out of Barcelona's 12.2 shots, Lionel Messi is responsible for 3.6 shots per game. Can Lionel Messi guide the Blaugrana to the LaLiga and UEFA Champions League titles this season?

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