Shocking Numbers for Vinicius as Mbappe Leads Europe in Missed Chances

For much of the early season, Vinicius Junior has found himself in the spotlight, but not for the wrong reasons. A player who typically thrives under immense pressure and consistently delivers is enduring one of his worst slumps, and his presence on the pitch is beginning to look like a problem for Real Madrid. Against Roma, Los Blancos looked like a completely different side after he came off. In Madrid, some are even viewing his four-match ban as a blessing in disguise.

The underlying numbers clearly illustrate the Brazilian's dip in form. Since the start of the campaign, he has registered 25 shots and scored just once, despite accumulating an expected goals (xG) tally of 3.14. With a conversion rate of just 4.4%, he holds the second-worst record across Europe's top five leagues among players with more than 20 shot attempts.

With Vinicius out of form, the goalscoring burden has largely fallen on Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman has netted seven goals in eight league appearances alongside his Champions League tally. Even so, he has had issues of his own, squandering 12 big chances across 10 matches. No player across Europe's top five leagues has missed more big chances. His seven La Liga goals have come from an xG of 8.85, showing that his clinical edge is also falling short of expectations.