Comparing Zlatan Ibrahimovic's 2014/15 Stats to His 2013/14 Numbers

After he decided to let his true feelings about the standard of refereeing in France known to the referee’s assistant after Paris Saint-Germain’s loss to Bordeaux in March, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was given a four-game ban—which has since been reduced to three. The first of which was served as his team-mates beat Nice 3-1 on Saturday at the Allianz Riviera.

Before the season ends, this brief hiatus gives us the perfect chance to look at Ibrahimovic’s 2014/15 numbers compared to the 2013/14 campaign.

After the ban, the forward will be able to play the last four league games of the season, meaning he could end the season with 26 appearances compared to the 32 he made in Ligue 1 last year. Even in the event of full participation, his minutes will be down by around 500 on the 2,689 he played as PSG won the title.

Michel Euler/Associated Press

The two most important statistics when it comes to Ibrahimovic’s performances relate to goals and assists, and the 33-year-old is down in both categories—with no real chance of catching up now. He is currently nine league goals down on last term, which is no surprise when you realise his shots-per-game ration his dropped this season too.

He may still take more shots than anyone else in Ligue 1, but dropping from five shots to just under four per game explains why he found the net more last season and is one of the reasons behind PSG’s less than stellar displays this time around.

One of the most noticeable drop offs has been in his creativity. Last season, he was excellent, racking up 11 assists. That has dropped to just three this campaign. It makes sense when you notice that his key passes have dropped from 2.1 to 1.4 per game and that he is making fewer passes—from 46 per game to 41.2—than he did in the previous season.

Michel Euler/Associated Press

It has been a fairly disjointed campaign for PSG’s talisman. It took until the 13th week of the season for the forward to play more than three consecutive games, which lasted for 10 straight games until he missed the 0-0 draw away at Monaco.

Zlatan was on a four-game run in the team until his recent suspension kicked in. It is a stark contrast to last season, when it wasn’t until Week 32 that he missed more than one game in a row. Consistency is key for Ibrahimovic, but this season, the injuries have taken their toll on the striker. As such, he has found it difficult to balance his rests with finding his best form.

According to WhoScored’s ranking system, Ibrahimovic’s average rating of 7.58 out of 10 makes puts him fourth in Ligue 1, just 0.01 away from Thiago Silva as the best at his club, but this is down from the 7.83 mark he finished with last campaign. It’s hard to say that Ibrahimovic has been even close to his best this season, but his high rating means that he is still influential enough to make a difference on the pitch.

Interestingly, his score last season would put him only 0.01 away from Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette this year, the current best-ranked player in the league. WhoScored has rated the Swede as the Man of the Match just four times this season compared to nine in the last campaign.

In his third season as a PSG player, Ibrahimovic’s numbers have dropped and his performances have brought more questions than answers. With his advancing years, each injury is taking its toll on the Swede’s body and is affecting his numbers.

Sadly, it would be a surprise to see his levels return to those achieved during his excellent 2013/14 season. He is undoubtedly still good enough to have a huge impact—just not on a consistent basis.

All statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com