RONALDO MESSI SET EL CLASSICO SCENE

 

Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi shine in Castrol Rankings

Ronaldo, Messi set El Classico scene

With Cristiano Ronaldo hot on Lionel Messi’s heels for the top Castrol Rankings spot, there’s everything to play for in this month’s El Classico.

Messi retains pole position in the Rankings this month, but finds himself under increasing pressure from Ronaldo as the Real Madrid star closes the gap at the top of the table.

There is little between the two players now; their goal tallies are close, with Messi scoring 35 goals in 34 league appearances over the last 12 months, and Ronaldo netting 33 in as many league games. The difference, however, lies in the players’ conversion rates and while Ronaldo converts 14% from open play, Messi converts nearly twice as many chances, scoring with 26% of shots.

This month will see the two best players in the world go head-to-head as Real Madrid take on Barcelona. The Castrol Rankings suggest that the balance of power in Spain may be shifting to Real Madrid, who have 10 players in the top 100 and four in the top 20, compared to Barcelona’s eight and three respectively.

With seven men from the two clubs in the top 20, it could easily be another player who grabs the limelight. Gonzalo Higuain has been in great form for Real Madrid over the last 12 months, scoring 29 goals in 35 league games and contributing eight assists.

David Villa (14th) is Barcelona’s other main goal threat. He’s had a steady start for the club, netting four goals in eight league games. This return has helped him maintain his average of scoring one goal in almost every two La Liga games (18 in 33) over the last 12 months and has kept him in the top 20.

The top two defenders in the Rankings are Dani Alves (11th) and Sergio Ramos (13th), whose presence will be vital to both sides. Alves has delivered more assists in the top five leagues over the last 12 months than any other full-back, whilst Ramos will be looking to score against Barcelona for a third time.

Both he and left-sided player Marcelo (17th) have moved into the top 20, having conceded only five goals in 12 La Liga and Champions League games up to the end of October.
In England, Didier Drogba has dropped places, struggling Wayne Rooney has moved up the Castrol Rankings, and injured Frank Lampard has also risen – why has this happened?

Despite being in good form this month, Drogba has dropped from 4th to 9th, while Rooney has moved up one spot to 4th. But don’t forget that the Castrol Rankings analyses player performance over a 12-month period, so a more accurate picture of consistent player performance can be viewed.

Points scored in October 2009 have now dropped out of the calculation and are replaced by those gained in October 2010, so to see why the player’s positions are as they are we need to look back to last year.

Last October, Drogba scored twice and assisted twice compared to just one of each in October 2010. His weaker performance this year has reduced his average, causing him to drop down the table.

Rooney, meanwhile, didn’t score highly in the two games he played in October 2009 and with these performances now dropping out of the calculation, his average Castrol Rankings score has improved, hence his move up the table. The same rule applies to Lampard in that his overall performances over the last 12 months are still outstanding, despite his recent absence from the Chelsea team.

So which league is the strongest in Europe?

The Premier League is still edging Spain in terms of strength, with eight players in the top 20. La Liga has seven, but all those players come from just two clubs, whilst the Premier League is represented by four teams. The Bundesliga has four representatives and Serie A just the one.

Three of the Premier League’s top 20 are new entries this month. Rafael van der Vaart’s quick acclimatisation to English football has seen him climb from 83rd in September into 7th position this month.

Manchester rivals Carlos Tevez and Nani are in joint 18th place. Tevez has scored more goals than any other player in the Premier League over the last 12 months (28 in 36). Meanwhile, Nani has started to fulfil his early promise. Only one player has more assists in the English top-flight in the last 12 months (James Milner) and six have come since the start of the 2010-11 campaign. Nani also scored three in his last four games during October to boost his Castrol Rankings score.