With 13 goals in 18 appearances, it is safe to say that Aston Villa loanee Louie Barry has been the League One surprise package this season.

Currently the division’s top scorer, there have been murmurings of a move to a Championship club in the January window. The winger has been in scintillating form, and thus Villa may make the choice to move him to a higher calibre team.

If a move of this ilk were to materialise, one could argue that Stockport County would struggle for the remainder of the season, a campaign in which they currently find themselves in the play-off places.

A look into the statistics elucidates Barry’s impact this season and demonstrates just how crucial he has been to Dave Challinor’s high-flying Hatters.

RAW GOAL-SCORING PROWESS

The simplest indication of the quality of Barry’s Stockport performances has been his goalscoring. The winger has been deployed off the left and also in a wide playmaker role to great effect.

Prior to the club’s 2-0 loss to title-chasing Birmingham City, the Englishman had bagged four goals in his last three league games, which had extended his goal-scoring lead over Peterborough’s Kwame Poku to three.

Barry has managed two braces this season against Burton Albion and Reading, and has only failed to find the net in six of his 18 appearances in the league. It is clear to see that Barry thus has a profound impact on the team’s performance.

This is further demonstrated by his goal tally making up 45% of the team’s total league goals, as Stockport have managed 29 in total.

SHOT QUALITY

Part of the reason for Barry’s high-scoring this season has been the quality of his shooting. The Aston Villa loanee has generated a league-high total xGOT (Expected Goals on Target) of 10.1, which is 2.2 higher than second place Sam Smith of Reading.

xGOT is a measure of a player’s shot quality, which each shot a player takes registering a figure between zero and one as to how likely it is to find the back of the net.

Distance shooting has been the determining factor in Barry’s rise to the top of the scoring charts.

The image above shows the Englishman’s volleyed strike against Bristol Rovers. Despite its distance and difficulty, the shot registered an xGOT of 0.4, as it arrowed into the top corner past goalkeeper Joshua Griffiths.

A further still exhibits Barry’s curled winner against Wrexham, the only goal in a 1-0 that saw the winger find the net from some way outside the area.

This time the strike registered an even higher xGOT of 0.72, making it almost unsaveable for ‘keeper Callum Burton when considering its accuracy.

A final image here shows the distance from which Barry converted a ludicrous volley attempt against Cambridge United. Although only given an xGOT of 0.06, the effort found the net and set Stockport on their way to a 2-0 victory.

Barry’s ability to convert chances from distance clinically sets him apart from the rest of the division’s forwards, as he is also potent inside the box.

The lowest xGOT recorded by any of the wide man’s goals from inside the box was 0.32. This indicates that he has not scored any goals by luck or poor goalkeeping, and it is instead the pure quality of his finishing that has been rewarded with 13 goals so far.

Barry’s efficacy in front of goal will be sorely missed by Stockport if he were to move to the Championship in January.

VERSATILITY

A key area of the game that has flown under the radar for Stockport’s loanee has been his versatility. He has been deployed across three main positions during his time with the Hatters, and all have yielded great success.

Transfermarkt lists Barry as having been moved around the left wing, attacking midfield and striker roles, with his most common position having been the first of those three.

From 18 appearances, 11 have been in the left midfield position, during which the 21-year-old has scored seven of his goals.

However, four of the natural winger’s strikes have actually come while being played up front, utilised in a two-striker formation with either Kyle Wootton or Isaac Olaofe.

Despite a few great showings from Barry, Stockport only one won of the matches in which this setup was implemented, which led to Challinor switching back to his original 3-4-3.

To further emphasise Barry’s utility, one only has to observe Stockport’s last two league fixtures against Burton Albion and Birmingham.

The loanee, and opposite winger William Collar, have been shifted back into a deeper-lying wide role, rather than being pushed forward as out-and-out wingers.

This came in an attempt to solidify County’s defensive shape, succeeding against Burton, but ultimately being dismantled by Chris Davies’ Blues.

In spite of any poor results engendered by an ever-changing tactical setup, Louie Barry’s performances have not waned at any point, and he has proven himself potent and effective in any attacking position in which he has been asked to play.

COULD KYLE WOOTTON FILL LOUIE BARRY’S SHOES?

Despite being overshadowed by his colleague so far, Kyle Wootton’ contribution to Stockport’s impressive campaign ought not to be discounted.

Six goals and three assists is a solid return from 15 starts, especially since Wootton also registers more shots on target than 78% of strikers per 90 minutes (1.19), and higher than 89% for non-penalty xG per match (0.46).

Although it would be hard for the 28-year-old to match up to Barry’s output so far, he has still been enjoying an excellent season.

His highest scoring term at Stockport came in the 2022/23 season, where he registered 14 goals in League Two. He is currently on course to at least level this tally if he continues in the same vein.

Despite Wootton ranking as Stockport’s second top scorer, it would really be impossible to deny that the loss of Barry in January would throw a huge spanner in the works for the Hatters’ promotion hopes.

Clinical in front of goal and capable of playing in multiple roles, the youngster has shown why he is such a hot prospect this season.

A move to the Championship to continue his development may not be too far away, and Challinor will have to come up with a solution quickly if Stockport want to retain any hope of also moving themselves into the second tier.

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