The stats behind Ohashi and Gueye's debut seasons at Blackburn Rovers

Yahoo

13-05-2025

Yuki Ohashi and Makhtar Gueye both had their first tastes of Championship football with Rovers this season.
Ohashi headed to Lancashire from Japanese club Sanfrecce Hiroshima last summer, while Gueye arrived from Belgian outfit RWD Molenbeek.
The duo had contrasting starts at Ewood Park. Ohashi hit the ground running with a goal on his debut against Derby.
The 28-year-old also got on the scoresheet at Norwich and in the Carabao Cup tie against Stockport, quickly becoming a fan favourite.
Ohashi also bagged a brace against Bristol City in September but then didn't get on the scoresheet again until Boxing Day.
During that time, he was called up to the Japan squad and won his first cap against Indonesia in a World Cup qualifier.
Ohashi had injury problems in the second half of the campaign but grabbed goals against Sheffield Wednesday, Luton and Sheffield United upon his return to the side.
Meanwhile, Gueye had to wait until December for his first league goal although he had netted twice in the Carabao Cup by that point.
The towering forward picked the perfect time to get off the mark in the Championship, grabbing a timely winner at Sheffield Wednesday.
Gueye went on to score some important goals, including a brace at West Brom and the opener against Lancashire rivals Preston North End, although he had a fairly quiet end to the campaign.GAME TIME
Ohashi made 38 appearances in all competitions including 27 starts, racking up 2,347 minutes throughout the campaign.
The forward had already been playing for several months in the J League before making the move to East Lancashire.
Gueye played fewer minutes in the league but was more involved in the cup competitions, racking up 2,349 minutes including 24 starts.
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Ohashi's strike on the final day at Bramall Lane saw the forward reach double figures, surpassing Andi Weimann's total for the campaign.
Nine of those goals came in the league and he also provided four assists for his team-mates over the course of the season.
Gueye applauds the fans (Image: CameraSport - Dave Howarth) Meanwhile, Gueye scored eight goals in all competitions and also contributed six assists for his team-mates.
Tyrhys Dolan was the only other member of the Rovers squad who scored more than three times, ending up with seven goals.
ACCURACY
Ohashi attempted 53 shots in the league, for which we have the data for, and hit the target at a rate of 35.8 per cent.
In terms of expected goals (xG), the data suggests that the attacker would be expected to score 7.1 goals based on the number and quality of chances he received, but he 'over-performed' those numbers by 1.9.
Gueye attempted more shots than Ohashi in the league (62) but had a slightly lower accuracy rate (35.5 per cent).
In comparison, Weimann had the highest accuracy figure in the Rovers squad this season, hitting the target at a rate of 60.6 per cent.
Gueye's xG figure was also 7.1, according to the data, but he 'under-performed' those numbers by 1.1 goals.
ALL-ROUND GAME
The stats behind Gueye's aerial duels stand out, which isn't much of a surprise given the forward's impressive physical attributes.
He won 164 headers against an opponent this season – a statistic which only Dom Hyam can better in the Rovers squad (173).
Gueye also completed 23 dribbles in the league this term, often holding up play effectively to help his team-mates turn defence into attack.
Ohashi was tidier in the build-up phase. The Japan international completed 68 per cent of his passes compared to Gueye's 54.2 per cent.
Out of possession, both players won back possession 11 times in the final third. Ohashi completed 21 tackles in total compared to Gueye's 12.
SUMMARY
There have been promising signs from Ohashi and Gueye's starts to life in English football and the pair will be eager to kick on next season.
In Ohashi's case, it was perhaps inevitable that injuries would catch up with him after a long campaign which began in the J League.
But the forward has proven he can be effective at this level and given supporters reason to be optimistic about what he can offer next term.
Gueye needed a bit of time to adjust to Championship football but soon started to show why he was brought to the club.
He is a nuisance for defenders and will always pose an aerial threat if Rovers can provide him with service.
Both players will be hungry for more next season and it will be interesting to see if they are utilised alongside each other more frequently, although Todd Cantwell's quality in the No 10 role makes it tough to leave him out of the side.