The 2022/23 season has been one which is sure to have frustrated Aberdeen’s Connor Barron, following the midfielder’s break-out campaign last term.
Barron wasn’t fit for the start of the Premiership action in August after sustaining a knee injury at Buckie Thistle in pre-season.
The 20-year-old’s return to fitness came just in time for a 4-0 pasting at the hands of Dundee United at Tannadice in October, where he came on as a second half substitute.
Although Barron has gone on to start most of the Reds’ games between then and now – only falling out of Jim Goodwin’s starting XI for the last two matches – some sections of the Dons support haven’t been quite as impressed by Barron’s showings across 22/23 as they were when he first emerged in 21/22.
Alongside his perceived less-effective performances on the pitch, fans have also been speculating on the unanswered question of whether Barron, with 18 months left on his existing Pittodrie contract, will or won’t sign the new deal tabled to him.
Also commenting earlier this week on Barron’s form this term, Aberdeen manager Goodwin, who labelled Barron’s performances as “okay” this season, added: “Sometimes when young players come in and make the kind of impact he did last season, the level of expectation goes through the roof. They (supporters) expect these young players to carry the team on their shoulders.
“That can’t happen because there is always going to be inconsistencies with any young players.”
Goodwin did accept there have been games where Barron hasn’t been “as influential” as he and the player would’ve liked this term, pointing to the disruption of the pre-season knee problem as a contributing factor.
Let’s then explore how Barron’s influence on matches has changed between the 2021/22 and 2022/23 season, with the summer and that knee injury the dividing line to compare the Barron of last term to this term so far.
Barron of 2021/22 v Barron of 2022/23
Conveniently, last term – following his return from a productive loan at Kelty Hearts – Barron made 13 league appearances after his February 15 top-flight debut in a 1-1 draw with St Johnstone. This season so far? He’s played the same amount of league matches, with 13 Premiership appearances.
After 13 appearances in 21/22, Barron had played 1,202 minutes. In 22/23, he’s had 1,015 minutes of action – so it is quite easy to compare both spells using our stats provider StatsBomb.
Positional differences
This season, due to the signing of defensive midfielder Ylber Ramadani, Barron hasn’t really been played in the deeper central defensive midfield position he occupied most often last term under former boss Stephen Glass and subsequently Jim Goodwin.
Instead, according to StatsBomb, Barron has almost always been tasked with occupying a right central midfield position for the Reds in 2022/23.
Barron and Leighton Clarkson have been used ahead of Ramadani, and tasked with supporting Duk and Bojan Miovski up front during the spell where Goodwin was using a back three/five.
Meanwhile, in other games – Rangers at Pittodrie being one example – Barron has been deeper, but on the right (rather than centrally), with Ramadani on the left.
It should be noted, Barron also hasn’t had any chances to play in a no.10 role this season, something he did do at points in 2021/22.
These positional differences could, of course, be something which has not suited Barron this term, but what do the numbers say about his performances?
We will start with shots on goal.
Despite first Aberdeen league goal, Barron’s threat diminishes
Although Barron’s appearances last season were a mix of attacking and more defensive duties over the piece, he still managed 14 shots from open play – with his best effort a near-miss from close range on debut against St Johnstone and an effort which was saved by Jak Alnwick in May’s 0-0 Pittodrie stalemate.
This term, Barron’s goal at Ibrox – a tap-in following a good driving run down the left by Duk which made it 1-0 before the Reds capitulated to a 4-1-going-on-10-1 defeat –was also his first Aberdeen league goal generally.
A big moment for the youngster, but is also represented his only real moment of goalscoring threat this term.
His other five open play shots mean Barron has had a substantially lower amount of efforts on goal this term, with his five other pings all rated at lowest end of the expected goals (xG) scale by StatsBomb.
Barron’s stats down across the board
But it isn’t just Barron’s shooting stats which have dropped off this season.
As these StatsBomb per-90-minutes radar graphics show, as a midfielder Barron is averaging fewer expected assists (xG assisted) (0.12 v 0.05), successful dribbles (.75 v .27) and fouls won (1.05 v 0.80). His pressures (19.55 v 14.10) and pressure regains (3.07 v 2.31) – i.e. times Barron pressuring an opponent has quickly seen the Dons win the ball – are also down.
The stats above show his PAdj tackles and interceptions (which are tackles and interception stats adjusted proportionally to a team’s possession in games) per-90-minutes have dropped this season, too – with 2.94 v.1.26 and 2.53 v 1.03.
It should be noted Barron’s passing percentage and turnovers (giving the ball away) have improved season to season, but he is also making fewer open play passes on average (41.64 per-90 last term v 28.73 per-90 this term).
When we filter to metrics StatsBomb think best reflect attacking midfield performance (rather than midfield), Barron’s struggle to influence games in the same way this season compared to last is again evidenced.
He is notably averaging more touches in the box per 90 minutes in games (0.98 in 21/22 v 0.22 in 21/22), but – as we covered earlier – fewer shots and, out wide, less effective crosses. Barron’s percentage of successful crosses per-90 in 21/22 was 39%, and this term it’s close to half this at 20%.
In general, according to StatsBomb, the vast majority of Barron’s stats across attack, defence and passing are worse in season 2022/23 than they were in 2021/22 after the same number of appearances.
His on-ball added value ratings – the measures StatsBomb use to reflect how much a player’s moments of possession are positively (or negatively) affecting their team’s chances of scoring – also tell the tale of a player who isn’t (due to being asked to play in a slightly different position, due to form and fitness, or both) having much impact on games either way.
Based on the graphics above and stats within them, Barron – whether he remains at Aberdeen for the rest of the season or beyond, or whether he departs Pittodrie without signing a new contract – must improve to match the promise he showed during the early part of 2022.
Conversation