Despite their difficult 2024–25 season, Plymouth Argyle’s start to life under Wayne Rooney has received mostly positive reviews.

Even though Plymouth Argyle is one third of the way into the 2024–25 season, they are now only one point above the bottom three in the Championship standings, sitting in 18th place.

26 goals given up and seven losses could indicate that the team is struggling under Wayne Rooney’s new leadership. But for a lot of Home Park supporters, the former Derby County and Birmingham City manager has gone above and above.

Thanks to victories over teams like Sunderland, Luton Town, and Blackburn Rovers, Home Park’s form has remained solid despite some difficult games, including away visits to Cardiff City and Sheffield Wednesday.

Morgan Whittaker played a key role in Plymouth Argyle’s effort to survive last season, and it was anticipated that the forward would be equally important this year. For the 23-year-old, though, the season has started slowly.

Key stats explain Whittaker’s quiet start

By no means has Whittaker been a bad player for Plymouth Argyle. Although he has always been the important player on the right, he hasn’t been the talisman he needed to be during the previous season.

Although greater depth and fresh threats have helped to lessen the offensive load, many would have expected the Derby County academy product to score more than three goals in 15 outings for Rooney’s team.

But two important statistics suggest why his goal-scoring ability has been more subdued.

Whittaker has had the most shots per game of any player in the league among Championship players who have appeared in more games than the average. With an average of 3.3 shots per game, he is.4 points ahead of the next closest scorer, Borja Sainz (2.9).

High on the list are Gustavo Hamer (2.6), Haji Wright (2.6), and Finn Azaz (2.7).

Nevertheless, Whittaker has only accumulated an xG (expected goals) of 1.96 in spite of all these shots. Based on his shots and opportunities, this indicates that he is still outperforming even though he hasn’t scored many goals.

What do the stats show?

In other words, Whittaker’s xG and shots per game show that he isn’t getting enough excellent chances.

The Plymouth Argyle star is known for having an unexpected flash of genius, usually in the shape of a rasping left-footed shot after cutting in from the right-wing.

This season, the Pilgrims were frequently lifted out of the muck by those moments. It is simpler for Championship defenders to restrict Whittaker’s opportunities in these areas, though, because they are more accustomed to this threat.

Putting Whittaker in better positions and ensuring the ball reaches him when he is there are the things Wayne Rooney and the Argyle coaching staff need to focus on. After all, the Pilgrims would like to have no one on the ball in front of goal.

Whittaker will be working on it on his own, under the supervision of instructors. As Rooney tries to get the best out of his Plymouth Argyle star player, hopefully it will help him score more goals again.