Gil Vicente is one of the names in Liga Portugal who are usually in and around the top half of the table. Last year, the club achieved the incredible feat of finishing fifth and qualifying for the UEFA Conference League for the first time in their history. However, this year things have taken a bad turn for them as they find themselves on the brink of relegation.
The Gilistas are currently in 16th place with just nine points from 13 matches. They have lost eight, drawn three, and won only two matches this season. They lost some crucial players in the summer transfer window, like Samuel Lino, who was an assistive figure on the left flank for them. Even though they have brought in suitable replacements like Kevin Villodres and Kanya Fujimoto, they have failed to produce good performances and are experiencing one of the worst seasons in their recent history. We will look at some stats to understand why Gil Vicente are struggling this season.
Gil Vicente are struggling big-time in Liga Portugal 2022/23. They also failed to progress to the Europa Conference League group stages. They have lost all six of their last games in the league. The viz above shows the team’s percentile rank in comparison to other teams in the league. We can observe their difficulties in scoring goals despite having decent attacking stats like xG, crosses, and opposition penalty area touches per match. It’s a similar story in the possession department. The team has decent passing stats but fails to do something productive with them. Alternatively, they have quite a low ranking in most of the defensive stats, and there is much room for improvement.
Woeful goal conversion
Gil Vicente have only scored 11 goals in Liga Portugal 2022/23 despite having an xG of 17.4. Their average of 0.85 goals per match is also much lower than their xG of 1.3 per match. They are averaging 12.5 shots per match, with only 30% of them on target. The viz above shows the team’s shot map from this season. We can see that a lot of their shots from the penalty area have missed the target or have been blocked. The team is massively underperforming in terms of xG. The numbers reflect their lack of killer instinct in front of the goal and their inability to convert the chances.
When compared to last season, Gil Vicente scored 47 goals with an xG tally of 42.5. They scored 1.38 goals per match and averaged 12.4 shots per match, with 36.3% accuracy. There has been an apparent decline in the team’s attacking stats and efficiency in front of the goal this season.
Gil Vicente’s main man in a season of struggles
Striker Fran Navarro has been Gil Vicente’s most crucial player overall. He alone has scored eight goals, which is the second-highest in the league, and provided one assist. The player has taken 33 shots at an average of 2.6 per match with 45.5% accuracy. He has also taken two penalty kicks with a 100% conversion rate. The 24-year-old takes most of his hits from dangerous positions in and around the 6-yard box. But again, a good proportion of his shots from the penalty area have been blocked, adding to his team’s woes.
Leaky defence
While Gil Vicente have faced problems going forward, their defensive department has a similar story to tell. The team has one of the worst xGAs in the league and have conceded 21 goals with a negative ten-goal difference. They concede around 1.62 goals per match on average. The viz above illustrates the team’s defensive territory this season. We can see the team making lots of interceptions in their defensive third and even in the penalty box. They commit around 15 fouls and 50 interceptions per 90 minutes.
In comparison to last season, Gil Vicente conceded 42 goals in their league campaign with a positive five-goal difference. The team let in 1.24 goals per match on average, which is significantly lower than their figure from this season. The viz above also shows that the team was committing significantly fewer defensive actions and interceptions in their defensive third, which included the penalty box.
Defensively, the Gilistas have been severely inconsistent in Liga Portugal 2022–23 compared to recent seasons. They are winning 56% of their defensive duels, which is almost on par with most of the teams near the relegation spots. Furthermore, the team is winning 54% of their total aerial duels, which is slightly better in comparison to teams in the bottom half.
The Gilistas have struggled to meet the demand for the 2022-23 Liga Portugal season. They have failed to conjure some momentum and perform with the same consistency displayed in recent seasons. They will need to improve in the majority of areas in order to secure another season in the Portuguese top flight.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
