The aim of football is to outscore your opponent - anyone with a basic knowledge of the beautiful game will tell you that much. Obviously, the more goals scored per game, the better, but many will happily see a hard fought 1-0 win ground out in order to secure all three points. The entertainment value may be sacrificed as a result, but securing the share of the spoils regularly remains the priority.
Those in possession of the best strikers in Europe - Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United - significantly increase their chances of securing glory with the most consistent of front-men, in this case Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robin van Persie, respectively. All three finished top scorer in their respective leagues last season as their team finished in top spot, with their goals proving crucial.
Naturally, the number of shots they take will be higher than that of others who have perhaps netted fewer goals, but instead boast a much-improved shot accuracy. This is to be expected, however, with the onus on strikers to fire away more shots than attacking midfielders or wingers.
These players in particular are expected to assist those responsible for finding the back of the net, but when the opportunity presents itself, are regularly expected to test their shooting ability against the opposition goalkeeper. Regardless, of every player to have had more than 35 shots on goal over the 2012/13 season, Cagliari striker Marco Sau was the most accurate player in Europe’s top five leagues last season, hitting the target with 71.4% of the 42 shots he fired away in Serie A.
Having scored 12 domestic goals, the Italian netted with every 2.5 shots on target, a return that may be impressive, but is still 1.25 shots on target per goal behind the player whose efforts on target proved to be most difficult to keep out in Europe’s top five leagues last season. Eden Ben Basat boasted the best goal per shot on target return over the 2012/13 campaign, netting once with every 1.25 efforts on target, or an on target conversion of 80%; the best in Europe’s top five leagues of those to have taken more than 35 shots last year.
Yet, when comparing his shot accuracy, the Toulouse striker hit the target with just 42.9% of his shots on goal last season, a 29.5% drop from Sau’s 71.4%. Granted, a strong shot accuracy is important for any attack minded player, and Sau’s return isn’t to be looked down upon, but when looking to conversion, it’s much more important to be able to finish off goalscoring chances rather than just testing the keeper, which is a facet Sau somewhat struggled in last season.
However, when taking into account both shot accuracy and conversion rather than just how accurate a player is, Dario Cvitanich excelled in both categories. With a 51.7% shot accuracy, the Nice striker netted a goal every 1.58 shots on target, a vastly superior return to that of Sau, and while Ben Basat netted a on a more consistent basis when finding the target, Cvitanich’s shooting accuracy and return of 19 goals outweighs that of Ben Basat’s nine.
In fact, when looking at overall conversion rate, of every player with 35 or more shots, Ben Basat (34.3%) and Cvitanich (32.8%) occupy the top two spots in relation to shots to goals scored. Meanwhile, Cvitanich (63.3%) may fall behind Ben Basat (80%), Miroslav Klose (75%) and Stefan Aigner (64.3%) in relation to on target conversion, but the fact that he has scored more goals than the trio indicates his much-improved prolificacy in front of goal.
This is further evidenced in that, when using the same method to determine the most accurate shooters, Cvitanich converted 56% of the clear-cut goalscoring opportunities presented to him over the past season. Only four players - Robert Lewandowski (71.4%), Vedad Ibisevic (62.5%), Radamel Falcao (58.1%) and Lionel Messi (58.1) - with 20 or more clear-cut goalscoring chances were more lethal in front of goal with said opportunities than the Argentine.
It highlights the attacking prolificacy of the 29-year old, and with his shooting accuracy and prowess in front of goal, it’s no shock to have seen only Zlatan Ibrahimovic (30) net more in Ligue 1 last season. Either way, while boasting an impressive shot accuracy is of vital importance to any attack minded player, being unable to hit the back of the net on a consistent basis will ensure that the former necessity is quickly forgotten, regardless of how impressive the stats may be.
In relation to Cvitanich, he may not have been the most accurate of players in Europe’s top five leagues last season, but he was able to reinforce his attacking credentials with the necessary goals that saw Nice secure fourth place in Ligue 1 and a place in next season’s Europa League as a result, having scored 33.3% of their league goals over the 2012/13 campaign.
