{"id":1239038,"date":"2021-12-22T19:35:19","date_gmt":"2021-12-22T19:35:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1239038"},"modified":"2021-12-22T19:35:36","modified_gmt":"2021-12-22T19:35:36","slug":"juanmi-real-betis-twinkled-toed-talisman-rival-benzema","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/juanmi-real-betis-twinkled-toed-talisman-rival-benzema\/","title":{"rendered":"Juanmi: Karim Benzema’s rival is among the top finishers in Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes in football everything just seems to fall your way. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The goalmouth scramble that ends up right at your feet. The defensive slip up that lets you in. The deflected shot that trickles into the far corner. Those days, weeks, months, where you just can\u2019t seem to do anything wrong. <\/p>\n

Yet, for Real Betis\u2019 Juan Miguel Jim\u00e9nez L\u00f3pez, fondly known as Juanmi, the extraordinary run of form that has seen him rise to second in the LaLiga scoring charts hasn\u2019t felt remotely fortuitous. No. Even as everything he touches turns to solid gold, as every opportunity suddenly looks unmissable, from seemingly nowhere, there\u2019s something about the winger\u2019s sensational scoring spree \u2013 how easy, how natural it\u2019s all looked \u2013 that makes it all seem suspiciously non-coincidental. <\/p>\n\n

There\u2019s no denying that the talent has always been there; 222 La Liga appearances speaks for itself. A handful of Champions League minutes as a 19-year-old, a move to the Premier League at 22 (though fans may or may not remember Juanmi for his goalless stint at Southampton in 2015-2016) \u2013 the fleet-footed winger has clearly always had something about him. Yet, as he found himself flying through the Andalusian air last weekend \u2013 five-foot-five out-jumping six-foot-one to power home the header, his sixth goal in his last 295 minutes of football \u2013 even the player himself looked a little bewildered as he knee-slid into his favourite corner of the Benito Villamar\u00edn.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

For a player like Juanmi \u2013 always good, often excellent, but rarely outstanding \u2013 the statistics are remarkable. With 11 goals and an assist in 968 minutes, he has a better strike rate than Karim Benzema. He\u2019s in the top 1% across Europe\u2019s attacking midfielders for % shots on target, goals per shot, and goals per shot on target – the top two percent for xGOT (Expected Goals on Target). And, outperforming that expected output by 3.24, only Karim Benzema, Giovanni Simeone and Patrik Schick can boast more clinical records in Europe\u2019s top five leagues.<\/p>\n

As with all such metrics, however, the question of sustainability naturally follows. Joe Willock scored seven goals in seven consecutive Premier League appearances for Newcastle last season; he has 0 in 16 since. It\u2019s tempting, though, to argue that while Juanmi won\u2019t keep going at the same pace, he won\u2019t drop off completely \u2013 owing to the effortless finishing and instinctive movement that his 10-goal haul this season has demonstrated. Alongside unerring finishes against Barcelona, Levante, and Rayo Vallecano (all occasions on which the winger finds the bottom-right corner, his favourite party trick), his quick-witted anticipation to glide into those dangerous areas points to a player with a cunning taste for goals. <\/p>\n

Relentlessly positive, always gambling on his teammates \u2013 carrying on his run against Osasuna while Nacho Vidal stopped, bursting into the space to meet the flick-on against Levante, lurking behind Moukhtar Diakhaby against Valencia \u2013 it\u2019s absolutely no coincidence that 21 of his 25 opportunities have come from inside the penalty area. And so, while his astonishing conversion rate at first glance suggests supernatural finishing, it\u2019s really a tenacity, persistence and optimism of movement that continues to create opportunities that he can hardly miss. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

There may have been a slight slip up this weekend, as Manuel Pellegrini\u2019s brilliant Betis were bitten in Bilbao, going down to a deflected, last-gasp winner, but there can be few qualms at their third-placed position going into Christmas, with Europa League and Copa del Rey campaigns still very much alive. Owing largely to their tip-tapping topscorer and his miraculous magic touch, Juanmi\u2019s run has been an aligning of stars that looks to have revived a hidden talent \u2013 a moment in the limelight to illuminate the career of a slightly wayward prodigy.<\/p>\n

He surely won\u2019t end the season on 30 goals, as his current form suggests, but wow, at least we\u2019ve all been reminded just how wonderful a player Juanmi Jim\u00e9nez really is. And long may that continue.<\/p>\n

Article produced by Thom Harris<\/a> in partnership with La Liga Lowdown<\/a>, your home for Spanish football in English with reporters based in Spain.<\/em>\u00a0Find them on Twitter\u00a0@LaLigaLowdown<\/a><\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometimes in football everything just seems to fall your way. The goalmouth scramble that ends up right at your feet. The defensive slip up that lets you in. The deflected shot that trickles into the far corner. Those days, weeks, months, where you just can\u2019t seem to do anything wrong. Yet, for Real Betis\u2019 Juan…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":355,"featured_media":1239046,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Juanmi was once a Premier League struggler but he is now one of the most lethal finishers in Europe, starring at Real Betis.","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"features-category":[],"squawka-category":[],"class_list":["post-1239038","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"\nJuanmi: Karim Benzema's rival is among the top finishers in Europe | Squawka | EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Juanmi was once a Premier League struggler but he is now one of the most lethal finishers in Europe, starring at Real Betis.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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