With three quarters of the season gone, Luis Suarez leads the goal scoring charts by some distance with 24 goals. Suarez’s Liverpool teammate Daniel Sturridge is the closest to him with 18 goals but despite being behind, Sturridge has shown a more clinical edge in front of goal than his teammate Suarez. Many would believe that Suarez has far and away been the best goal scorer in the league this season, but when it comes to being clinical, there are some others names that deserve a mention for their performances in the Premier League.
Chance Conversion
When we talk of clinical strikers we have to take into account two main categories. The categories in question: chance conversion and clear-cut-chance conversion. Although similar in name, they are rather different. If we take into account the chance conversion statistic for those who have played more than 15 games, it is surprising that Carlton Cole and Marouane Chamakh lead the way. Cole has only scored 6 goals in his 15 appearances for the Hammers, but he has converted 33% of his chances. Similarly, Chamkah has scored 5 goals for Crystal Palace with the same chance conversion. These statistics show the importance of clinical edge when you’re down the bottom. The third most clinical striker is Manchester United’s Danny Welbeck. Welbeck has gained a reputation for his lack of goal scoring, but when given the opportunity to play upfront this season in the absence of Robin Van Persie, Welbeck managed to convert 31% of his chances. Although he has only scored 8 goals this season, this is an impressive statistic.
The player with the fourth highest chance conversion is Daniel Sturridge, who has managed 18 goals this season with a chance conversion of 30%. Sturridge’s reputation for being greedy could be made with these stats, as he has found the back of the net efficiently for his team. Fifth on the chance conversion list is Robin Van Persie, who scrapes his way into the list by just having played 15 games. The Dutchman has managed 11 goals with a chance conversion rate of 27% showing how important he is for United when he plays.
Surprisingly strikers Sergio Aguero and Luis Suarez are not in the top 5 best chance converters. The Manchester City man is sixth on the list and has he has scored 15 goals with a chance conversion rate of 26%. Suarez, the Premier League’s top scorer, has managed 24 goals with a chance conversion rate of 22%. This shows that Suarez is more willing to make an attempt on goal, which is backed up by the fact he has the lowest minute per shot statistic with a shot every 19.29 minutes. A special mention must go to Emmanuel Adebayor, who has the best chance conversion rate in the league at 42%. The Togolese front man has managed 8 goals from 13 games since he was brought back into the team by Tim Sherwood.
Clear-cut Chance Conversion
When it comes to clear-cut-chances, there are a few more surprise names on the list. The striker with the highest clear-cut-chance conversion rate is in fact Southampton’s Jay Rodriguez. The England international has scored 10 goals with a CCC conversion rate of 75%. With 6 of Rodriguez 10 goals coming from clear cut chances, his chance conversion rate of 17% explains why he has only scored 4 additional goals. Second in the clear-cut-chance conversion list is Danny Welbeck. He has had a CCC rate of 70% which compliments his high chance conversion rate of 31%. Of Welbeck’s 8 goals, 7 came from chances which were clear-cut. This shows that Welbeck has been an extremely clinical finisher this season, perhaps the most clinical in the Premier League.
The striker with the third best CCC conversion rate is Carlton Cole. Cole has scored 5 of his 6 goals in the Premier League from a CCC and has a CCC conversion rate of 63%. Again, Cole’s statistics show that he could be of real value for West Ham in front of goal. Fourth on the CCC list is another Southampton man, Ricky Lambert. Lambert has managed 8 goals this season, with a CCC conversion rate of 60%. Of his 8 goals, 6 of them have come from a CCC highlighting Lamberts composure in front of goal. The fifth player on the list is Daniel Sturridge. The Liverpool forward has a CCC conversion rate of 57% this season, with 12 of his 18 goals this season coming from a CCC. With his goal scoring tally, chance conversion rate and clear-cut chance conversion rate all being in the top 5 in the league for strikers, Sturridge could hold the claim as being the most clinical striker in the league.
Although they didn’t find themselves in the top 5 for chance conversion and clear-cut chance conversion, Luis Suarez and Sergio Aguero still find themselves in the top 3 goal scorers in the league. In a way this shows the quality that the two possess as neither have the greatest chance conversion statistics, but both has scored many goals. If anything, it is testament to the fact that both can produce moments of genius out of nothing for their teams. It could also be argued that when challenging at the top of the table, this is of more value than being clinical.
