World Sports compares Phelan s performance under Xavi and Flick: goalscoring efficiency improved after transitioning to center

"World Sports News" wrote an article comparing Barcelona forward Ferran's performance under Xavi and Flick respectively, and believed that his scoring efficiency has significantly improved after transforming into a center.

After overcoming muscle problems, Phelan was once again started at center by Flick. The goal against Elche was his 50th in 170 games for Barcelona. The 50 goals are evenly distributed between the two coaches: 25 goals were scored in 113 games (5938 minutes) under Xavi, from 2021 to 2024; the other 25 goals were scored in 57 games (2730 minutes) under Flick, from 2024 to the present.

The 56-game gap between the two coaches mainly stems from how they are used on the field. Xavi preferred to use Phelan as a left winger, and the player scored 12 goals in 59 games. As a center forward, he scored 5 goals in 20 games, while as a right winger, he scored 8 goals in 34 games.

Under Frick, Phelan's role changed completely. For more than a year, he mainly served as a center forward. In a total of 57 games, he played as a center forward in 30 games and scored 14 goals. As a left winger, he played in 19 games and scored 10 goals; as a right winger, he played in 8 games and scored only 1 goal. The conclusion is that Phelan's scoring efficiency increased because he was positioned more advanced on the field.

Ferran thus became the 51st on Barcelona’s historical scorer list. With Sunday's goal, he overtook Thierry Henry, with the Frenchman averaging one goal every 174 minutes at Camp Nou, one minute more than Fernando. In addition, Ferran has scored three more goals than Ronaldo, but the Brazilian has scored 47 goals in 49 games, averaging one goal every 90 minutes. And ahead of Phelan is Lineker (51 goals).