Manfred Ugalde recorded two assists in Spartak’s 2-1 victory over Rubin Kazan – but still couldn’t find the back of the net.
The Spartak Moscow duo of Manfred Ugalde and Levi Garcia have combined for 10 goals and 11.4 xG in the 2025/26 RPL season. For perspective, Dmitry Vorobyov also has 10 goals (with 9.15 xG), Mirind Daku has 10 (7.17 xG), Alexander Sobolev has 9, and John Cordoba leads with 16. The numbers are strikingly similar.
Here’s another stark fact: Before the 2-1 win over Krylya Sovetov in the previous round, Ugalde hadn’t scored since October. That 13-match goalless run matched his worst drought in the RPL, previously endured between March and July 2024 after his arrival at Spartak.
Ugalde’s scoring confidence has always been fragile. In spring 2024, it suffered due to Spartak’s slump without Quincy Promes, Guillermo Abascal’s tactical instability, and being deployed in unfavorable roles (Vladimir Slishkovic often played him on the left flank).
The summer-autumn 2024 period was unique: Ugalde scored 6 of his 15 goals in the first 10 rounds, then briefly faded due to Stankovic’s experiments. The coach tried him on the left or alongside Shamar Nicholson in 3-5-2 or 4-4-2 formations.
Later, Spartak reverted to 4-3-3, and Ugalde rediscovered his spark, becoming the focal point of the attack. From matchday 15 to 19, Spartak netted 17 times, with Ugalde involved in 13 (10 goals, 3 assists). It took just 5.28 xG to build a seemingly insurmountable lead in the scoring race.
That remains the best stretch of Ugalde’s career in Russia. Neither before nor after has he shown such sharpness and involvement.
In spring 2025, the magic evaporated: he scored only two goals – against Orenburg (2-0) after the restart and Khimki (5-0) on the final day. Stankovic’s crisis and the shaky integration of winter signing Levi Garcia derailed his rhythm. The broken settings meant Ugalde lost his threat and his involvement declined.
Autumn 2025 has been a mix of problems. On one hand, Spartak struggled due to Stankovic’s turmoil. During this period, Ugalde wasn’t even the starting striker: he played 986 minutes compared to Garcia’s 672. Yet it’s not fair to say he played terribly. Per 90 minutes, he shot as often as in autumn 2024, touched the ball more frequently in the box, and created clearer chances. However, his finishing was lacking – he rarely shot from the six-yard box, often firing from the left half-space.
**What’s Happening with Ugalde Now?**
This spring is fundamentally different from Ugalde’s previous poor spells. First, despite not scoring many, he remains dangerous. In 2026, only six players (Cordoba, Konstantin Tyukavin, Sobolev, Bryan Gil, Pablo Solari, Gamid Agalarov) surpass Ugalde in non-penalty expected goals.
Second, Ugalde doesn’t disappear from games and looks effective.
* He won a penalty and assisted Marquinhos in the 3-2 win over Sochi.
* He scored against Dynamo in the Cup (2-5) and created several other attacks.
* Against Akron (4-3), he won a corner that led to Christopher Vu’s goal, started a move, and finished from the box in the third goal (Christopher Martins tapped in the rebound).
* Coming off the bench, he turned the derby with Lokomotiv (2-1), winning a penalty and getting Evgeny Morozov sent off.
* He scored against Akhmat from an offside position (3-1).
Against Rubin (2-1), he delivered two assists, tirelessly ran behind the defense, cleverly linked play outside the box (set up Marquinhos one-on-one in the first half, orchestrated several other attacks, and played quick one-twos), and constantly moved. It was a top performance, but again he lacked the finishing touch: he scored from offside and missed a headed chance from Pablo Solari’s cross.
Manfred Ugalde holds the ball well, links up play outside the box, and has a great sense of when to drop deep to create space for a teammate running behind, or when to stay between the lines and combine quickly.
Ugalde isn’t scoring, but he looks confident. One issue is finishing. This spring, he has squandered five clear-cut chances out of six. His scoring rate is also affected by the fact that he is no longer the primary focal point of the attack.
