Eight of FCB’s goals this season have been scored by defenders, already matching their tally of the precious season. Adriano has four goals, Alba has two, and Piqué and Puyol have one each
The defence hasn’t scored more than eight goals in any of the last four seasons
It means that 16% of Barcelona’s goals this season have been scored by members of the rearguard
Tito Vilanova’s Barça is a goalscoring machine, and that starts from the back. It is a team in which eleven players attack, but also one in which eleven players defend. And the statistics reflect that. After 14 league games, Barça have scored 48 goals, and eight of those have been converted by players that serve in defence.
In other words, 16% of the first team’s goals have come from the back line, the same number scored in total by defenders for the whole of the season before, suggesting that something is changing in the way the team plays.
Adriano, Alba, Piqué and Puyol
The most inspired player in front of goal has been Brazilian Adriano Correia with four goals in the league and one in the cup, making him the fourth highest scorer overall in the team after Messi, Villa and Cesc. He is followed by Jordi Alba, who scored against Deportivo and Celta, as well as against Glasgow Celtic in the Champions League.
Centre backs Piqué and Puyol have also found the net once each. The former opened the scoring against Athletic Bilbao and the latter found the net against Real Sociedad.
Brazilian Dani Alves has also got on the scoresheet this season, in the away trip to Spartak Moscow. That means that Marc Barta, Mascherano and Montoya are the only FCB defenders that haven’t scored this term. It all goes to show that the Barça defence is not just about holding onto the possession, but that the system is also designed for them to participate in offensive duties too.