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Castrol Debate: Will Gonzalo Higuain & Zlatan Ibrahimovic Be Key Players In La Liga’s Title Race?
Goal.com looks at two key figures who could determine the destiny of the Primera Division throne this season...
| Bet: | Returns: | Leverkusen £70.00 | Draw £42.00 | Barcelona £14.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Leverkusen £65.00 | Draw £43.30 | Barcelona £14.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Leverkusen £85.00 | Draw £45.00 | Barcelona £14.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Leverkusen £75.00 | Draw £42.00 | Barcelona £13.70 |
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Mar 15, 2010 1:00:00 PM
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Boateng, Barcelona, Getafe (Getty Images)
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Think of Barcelona and Real Madrid and in turn, two other names will automatically come to mind: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The two best players in the world over the last two years have continued where they left off and they have showed no signs of a dip in form or a shortage of goals in 2010. It’s no surprise then that in the Castrol Rankings for February 2010, the Argentine and the Portuguese head the standings in first and second place respectively, well clear of the likes of Fernando Torres, David Villa, Thierry Henry and Didier Drogba.
But despite Messi and Ronaldo’s megastar status and their important contributions to their teams, Barca and Madrid each have a secret weapon that they can unleash as we head towards the home stretch of the title race: Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Gonzalo Higuain.
Higuain, despite his crucial goals week in, week out for Los Blancos, despite having established himself as the darling amongst the Bernabeu faithful, is still very much living in the shadows of Cristiano Ronaldo’s flashy exploits. Even Kaka’s inconsistent and often below-par performances are taking up more headline space than Higuain’s heroics.
But the Argentine international has undoubtedly hit form just at the right time. He has cracked the top 20 of the Castrol Rankings, moving up 17 places to 14th, thanks to his phenomenal strike rate that has seen him tally 16 goals in just 14 league starts after 25 rounds in La Liga.
Those numbers are indeed mind-blowing and the arguments that he is perhaps one of the best finishers in the world at present are fully supported by his impressive shots-to-goal ratio.
‘El Pipa’ has converted 41% of his attempts on goal in La Liga, the best return in any of Europe’s top five leagues. He has rippled the net every 74.6 minutes on average, compared to Messi, who scores every 99.2 minutes and David Villa every 117.9 minutes.
Over at the Camp Nou, meanwhile, ‘Little Lionel’ has been carrying the massive Barca burden on his shoulders with not only superlative performances but stunning goals. However, it is big Ibra who could prove to be the ace of spades for coach Pep Guardiola in the title race.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic | key figure in La Liga title race?
The Swedish sharp-shooter made a sensational start to life in Spain following his move from Inter in the summer, scoring in his first six games for the Blaugrana, a joint-record in La Liga. The Catalan hex-champions also won 10 out of the 11 league games in which he scored, while the team emerged triumphant in 85% of the games when he was on the pitch, compared to just a 50% success rate when he was absent.
Ibrahimovic’s form may have fizzled off in the second half of the campaign, but he has actually moved up to 11th place in the latest Castrol Rankings. And with the experience that he has in big title games and scoring pivotal goals in Serie A, there’s no reason to suggest that ‘Ibracadabra’ won’t return to his menacing, predatory best in front of goal in the lead-up to the championship tussle.
As Castrol Ambassador and 1998 FIFA World Cup winner Marcel Desailly explains:
“It’s hard to describe Ibrahimovic and Higuain as support players but their efforts can be overlooked because of the focus placed on Messi and Ronaldo.
“However they are both key to their team’s hopes of winning the title. Ibrahimovic has grown since he moved to Spain and has proved a more than adequate replacement for Samuel Eto’o. When he is on form he gives the impression that he expects to score – and more often than not he does.
“Higuain has provided Real Madrid with the kind of goal threat they had when Ruud van Nistelrooy was at his best, and he is getting better all the time.
“Messi and Ronaldo will have a big say in the title race, but neither can win it on their own. The run-in will be decided by which team can collect the most points when they are not necessarily at their best and that’s when goalscorers like Ibrahimovic and Higuain become invaluable.”
Who do you believe will be a key figure in La Liga’s title battle? Goal.com wants to know what you think...
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