Any team, no matter their standing in a league, craves a striker that is capable of being in the right place at the right time to net. A frontman able to utilise intelligent movement is a must, and those who can finish these chances will quickly win over the plaudits and endear himself to supporters. Examples of clear-cut goalscoring opportunities include a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, a free header from close range, an open goal or a penalty.
A recent instance was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s miss in Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat to Barcelona on Tuesday night, with the England international firing straight at Marc-Andre ter Stegen from close range in the first half. Had Oxlade-Chamberlain netted, it would have altered the entire complexion of the tie, but Arsenal now face an uphill task if they are to progress to the next round of the Champions League.
Indeed, the Gunners could well have maximised the goalscoring ability of a striker of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s goalscoring ilk to have netted against the European champions in midweek. Only Robert Lewandowski (22) has scored more goals than the Gabon international (21) in the Bundesliga this season, with each of Aubameyang’s 21 league goals have been deemed clear-cut goalscoring opportunities.
The 26-year-old has been attracting interest from Premier League sides in recent weeks and for good reason. His clever movement off the ball means he is able to find space in and around the opposition penalty area, thus increasing his chances of hitting the back of the net. Importantly, though, is that his Borussia Dortmund teammates are able to pick out Aubameyang in these situations.
In the Bundesliga this season, Aubameyang has been presented with 34 of these clear-cut chances to net, boasting a conversion rate of 61.8% from said attempts. While a commendable return, and a level of composure that has fired Dortmund to second in Germany’s top tier, it’s far from the best in Europe’s top five leagues this season. Of those to net 10 or more clear-cut goalscoring opportunities, Benjamin Moukandjo (80%) has the best clear-cut conversion rate in Europe’s top five divisions.
Only Zlatan Ibrahimovic (23) and Michy Batshuayi (13) have scored more goals than the Cameroonian striker (12) in Ligue 1 this season, with each of Moukandjo’s goals - like Aubameyang - deemed clear-cut. It’s been an impressive campaign to date for the front man, who netted just the eight league goals for Reims last term, and it’s fair to say Lorient are certainly getting their money’s worth.
The difference between the Ligue 1 side and Borussia Dortmund is that Lorient are not expected to dominate teams in their league like Dortmund would in the Bundesliga. Indeed, Lorient average 49.8% possession in Ligue 1, a far cry from Dortmund (59.8%) in Germany’s top tier. As such, Lorient require a clinical goalscorer in the form of Moukandjo, with his finishing often the difference between a positive result and defeat.
Indeed having netted 12 of the 15 clear-cut goalscoring opportunities presented to him - the joint fewest in Europe’s top five leagues of players to score 10 or more - the 27-year-old is performing above and beyond the standards expected of him at the Stade du Moustoir. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Deportivo La Coruña’s Lucas Perez boasts the worst clear-cut conversion rate (38.5%) in the top five divisions of European football of those to score from 10 such situations or more. The 27-year-old is far and away the club’s top scorer in La Liga this campaign with 14 league goals, but while he clearly has the ability to find the net, more composure in front of goal could so easily have seen that figure closer to the 20 mark.
It seems to be a running theme that La Liga attackers struggle with the number of clear-cut goalscoring opportunities presented to them. Of the 22 players to net 10 more of these chances, three of the four players with the worst clear-cut conversion rate play in Spain's top-flight - Perez, Neymar (42.4%) and Cristiano Ronaldo (44.4%).
It’s no coincidence that Robert Lewandowski has the second worst conversion rate (39%), but has been presented with the most clear-cut goalscoring opportunities (41) in Europe’s top five leagues so far. Not every striker is going to hit the back of the net with every opportunity and given Bayern’s dominance, there is indeed margin for error for the Poland international.
The exception to the rule, however, is perhaps Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema, who boasts a clear-cut conversion rate of 69.6% having netted 16 of the 23 chances presented to him. The Frenchman is perhaps the most important player in the Madrid attack, with his impact somewhat unheralded. When he is presented with chances more often than not the 28-year-old will score, which is commendable given he is not on penalty taking duties for Los Blancos, that honour bestowed upon Ronaldo.
Fellow La Liga frontman Antonio Sanabria (66.7%) also features highly, with the 19-year-old impressing on his loan spell at Sporting Gijon. Despite his age, Sanabria has put in a number of goalscoring performances way beyond his tender years, with his 10 goals - all clear-cut chances - accounting for 35.7% of Sporting’s total in La Liga this term.
The general conclusion appears to be that those with fewer clear-cut chances presented to them fare better than players who are gifted these opportunities on a silver plate more often. That Moukandjo, Sanabria and Carlos Bacca - all of whom have fired away the joint fewest clear-cut chances (15) - feature highly with regards to conversion rate is a testament to their striking qualities. That’s not to take away anything from Lewandowski, Ronaldo and co., all of whom are evidently astute goalscorers in their own right, but rather they aren’t as clincial in glaring positions. Perhaps they are aware they will likely be presented with more clear-cut chances in any given game, meaning they can afford to miss more opportunities rather than those who may only be gifted one, if that.
Which clinical striker in Europe would you rather have in your team? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
