The comparison does reveal a significant difference.
After seven league matches, Shooting Stars had collected seven points under Yusuf, leaving them 17th in the table with a game in hand. At the same stage last season, Aweroro's side had accumulated 11 points and occupied fifth position.
The gap prompted sections of the club's supporters to call for Yusuf's dismissal and the return of Aweroro.
Following Wednesday's rescheduled Matchday 3 fixture against Kano Pillars, however, Shooting Stars have moved to eight points from seven matches and 13th position after a 0-0 draw at the Lekan Salami Stadium.
The numbers favour Aweroro
At the corresponding stage of the 2025/26 campaign, Aweroro's Shooting Stars had 11 points, four more than Yusuf's team had accumulated after seven matches.
The difference was also visible in the league table.
Aweroro's team was sitting fifth, while Yusuf's side were 17th before the outstanding Kano Pillars fixture was played.
That does not necessarily mean the coaches inherited identical circumstances, but it does explain why supporters are becoming concerned.
Shooting Stars eventually finished third with 60 points last season, securing continental football for the first time in 27 years. That achievement naturally raised expectations around the club heading into the new campaign.
Yusuf's first seven matches
Shooting Stars' opening seven league matches under Yusuf produced two wins, one draw and four defeats, according to the results recorded around Matchday 7.
The team opened the campaign with a 2-1 victory over newly promoted Inter Lagos before suffering a 3-1 defeat away to Plateau United.
They responded by beating Katsina United 2-0, but then lost away to Warri Wolves and suffered a heavy 4-2 defeat against Enyimba.
The Oluyole Warriors subsequently drew 0-0 with Nasarawa United before Wednesday's goalless draw with Kano Pillars.
The NPFL's official fixture record confirms the results against Inter Lagos, Katsina United, Warri Wolves, Enyimba and Nasarawa United, as well as the rescheduled Pillars fixture.
The recent form is the bigger concern
Beyond the points comparison, Shooting Stars' recent form is what is likely to concern supporters most.
The Oluyole Warriors have now gone four league matches without a victory, following defeats against Warri Wolves and Enyimba before consecutive 0-0 draws against Nasarawa United and Kano Pillars.
The Pillars stalemate was particularly frustrating for the home supporters because Shooting Stars were playing at the Lekan Salami Stadium but could not find a breakthrough.
The result also allowed Kano Pillars to extend their unbeaten run to seven matches and collect their first point away to Shooting Stars in Ibadan in nine years.
But the comparison is not entirely straightforward
There is an important argument in Yusuf's favour: he is not working with exactly the same circumstances Aweroro had last season.
Shooting Stars have undergone changes to their squad and technical structure, while the club is also balancing domestic football with its return to continental competition after a 27-year absence.
Yusuf was appointed with considerable experience in Nigerian football, and the club entered the season expecting his tactical approach to help them compete on multiple fronts.
Before the season began, the Guardian described Shooting Stars under Yusuf as a high-press, aggressive team, while the club started the campaign positively by defeating Inter Lagos 2-1.
That means seven matches should not, on their own, be used to determine whether Yusuf is the right long-term coach for the club.
The Aweroro benchmark is difficult to ignore
Aweroro did not merely achieve a respectable position last season. He guided Shooting Stars to third place, earning the club continental football and helping end a lengthy wait for a return to African competition.
Consequently, Yusuf is being judged against a coach who left behind a team that had established itself among the leading sides in the NPFL.
The fact that Shooting Stars are currently struggling for consistency makes the comparison inevitable.
So, is Yusuf doing badly?
Based strictly on the league numbers, Yusuf's start is below Aweroro's corresponding start.
At seven matches:
Aweroro: 11 points, fifth position
Yusuf: 7 points, 17th position before the outstanding fixture
After the rescheduled Kano Pillars match:
Yusuf: 8 points, 13th position after seven completed matches.
So there is a genuine statistical decline, not merely a perception created by unhappy supporters.
However, calling Yusuf's tenure a failure at this point would be premature. The season remains in its early stages, and there are still many matches in which Shooting Stars can recover lost ground.
What Yusuf must change
The immediate priority is to turn possession and home advantage into victories.
Shooting Stars have already dropped important points at home and have struggled to score consistently during their recent poor run. The consecutive goalless draws against Nasarawa United and Kano Pillars underline that problem.
The next fixture could therefore carry additional significance.
Shooting Stars are scheduled to travel to Kun Khalifat on Sunday for Matchday 8, according to the NPFL fixture list.
A positive result would give Yusuf an opportunity to ease some of the pressure and begin rebuilding confidence.
A continued run without victories, however, would inevitably strengthen the argument from supporters who believe the club should reconsider its technical direction.
The verdict
The evidence does not support the argument that Salisu Yusuf has failed at Shooting Stars, because seven matches are too small a sample to make that conclusion.
But it does support the argument that Shooting Stars have started this season considerably worse than they did under Aweroro at the same stage.
That is the reality Yusuf now has to address.
For the coach, the challenge is no longer simply to match Aweroro's achievements from last season. He first has to get Shooting Stars winning again, move them away from the lower half of the table and convince supporters that the club's ambitious plans for the season remain achievable.