Real Madrid is the Spanish club with the most shots on target in La Liga this season. Los Blancos have received a total of 10 penalties this season but they are currently 10 points behind leaders Barcelona. However, the top team has only taken 2 penalties in the 2022/23 La Liga season. Almeria and Valladolid are also Spanish clubs with the same number of shots on goal as Barcelona.
Moreover, Atletico Madrid is the only Spanish club not to receive a penalty in the 2022/23 season. They are currently in the top three and will likely secure a spot in the top three. Besides Real Madrid, there are other Spanish clubs with more than five penalties this season. These clubs include Real Betis (9), Girona (8), Valencia (8), Getafe (7) and Rayo Vallecano (7).
Furthermore, there are 5 Spanish clubs that have only taken 3 penalties this season. These clubs include Cadiz, Sevilla, Real Sociedad, Celta Vigo and Espanyol. Most of these heavily fined clubs are now in the safe zone while a few are currently battling for relegation. Based on Atletico Madrid's lack of penalties, it shows that not having a penalty doesn't have a big impact on a club's performance.
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Liverpool beat West Ham on Wednesday night but some key decisions still await Jurgen Klopp at the end of the season.
Klopp gives his opinion on Liverpool's victory over West Ham
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp could be headed for a ruthless transfer decision that Virgil van Dijk will not like this summer. Despite the win over West Ham on Wednesday night, Joel Matip is still in full swing at Anfield and signs still point to a way out after seven years with the Red Devils.
The tough win over the Hammers has given Klopp three straight wins, who have also met Nottingham Forest and Leeds United in the past two weeks. Lucas Paqueta opened the scoring at London Stadium but Cody Gakpo equalized shortly after to keep the score a draw. When Liverpool controlled the ball and scored from Lukasz Fabianski, it was Matip who scored the winning goal by heading to make it 2-1 with just over 20 minutes left. The 31-year-old is one of the brightest players on the pitch in east London, but that can only be a temporary distraction ahead of a complicated transfer call awaiting Klopp this summer.
According to statistics, Matip is one of the worst players of the Red Devils this season. Having scored more Premier League goals than 11th-placed Chelsea, it's clear their defense needs to be revamped.
And as Matip nears the end of the final 12 months of his contract with Liverpool, an important move seems inevitable at the end of the season. Since he's already 32 years old before the start of his next campaign, the chances of signing new missions seem slim.
As such, the Reds could be better served to cash in on the former Cameroon international while they can this summer and avoid losing him for free in 2024. Though the move would make sense on many levels, but one downside would be Van Dijk's anger.
The Dutchman has also had a bad season with his high standards but is unlikely to be left out of the starting line-up even if Klopp is allowed to sign the defence. Van Dijk has made it clear in recent campaigns that he enjoys playing alongside Matip. The pair's brotherhood is well-documented, with Van Dijk calling his centre-back teammate "the only Joe Matip" earlier this season and speaking to him in public last year. Last year, it started like this:
"I told him, if you trust yourself, like I trust him, it's probably because of him."
AFC Bournemouth v Liverpool FC - Premier League
Joel Matip has had a difficult season overall, despite scoring against West Ham last time (Image:
Getty)
A free transfer from Schalke in 2016, Matip is widely regarded as one of the best signings of the Premier League era. To date, he has made almost 200 appearances for Liverpool, with whom he has won a Champions League, Carabao Cup, FA Cup and a Premier League title.
A host of promising defenders have been linked to Anfield ahead of the summer transfer window, including Everton youngster Jarrad Branthwaite, Chelsea prospect Levi Colwill and Benfica's Goncalo Inacio.
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