Our final talismen article focuses on the Bundesliga and has no players from the top two teams, due to a more even spread of goals throughout their players. This means no room for Dortmund’s Lucas Barrios, with 16 goals and 2 assists, as three team mates contributed a combined total of 14 or more goals and assists. The same applies to the omission of Leverkusen’s Arturo Vidal, despite his 10 goals and 11 assists, as five team mates contributed a combined goals and assists total of 9 or more. Bayern will have much optimism over the performance of Arjen Robben here- if the Dutchman is fully fit next term, their chances will surely be greatly improved.
Theofanis Gekas played a part in every one of Eintracht Frankfurt’s game, with only 3 of his 34 appearances coming from the subs bench. Frankfurt found the net 34 times, and 31 of those goals came with Gekas on the pitch. Scoring 16 goals and making 2 assists, Gekas played a part in 18 of those 31, a fantastic 58%, which makes him our number one talisman for Bundesliga season 2010/11.
Papiss Demba Cisse finished second top scorer in the Bundesliga with 22 goals for Freiburg last term. Cisse missed just two games for the ninth-placed side, and they failed to win either, with both ending in draws. Cisse picked up no assists all season but with Freiburg scoring 38 of their 41 goals with him on the pitch, he contributed towards an outstanding 57% of them, highlighting just how vital he is to the club.
The loss of Arjen Robben through hamstring problems proved costly for Bayern; they won 9 of the 20 games he didn’t play in, compared to 10 of the 14 he did feature. Bayern found the net 35 times while Robben was on the pitch and with 12 goals and 8 assists, he contributed to 57%, an indication of how much he means to the team.
Our recent article on “Clinical Finishers” showed Milivoje Novakovic was the best in Europe last season and his contribution was crucial to Cologne as the club grabbed a tenth-placed finish. Novakovic missed just 6 games but only managed to finish 90 minutes on 17 occasions; the side scored 1 goal every 57 minutes with him in the side and with a season average of 1 every 65 minutes, it’s clear how much extra threat he gave them. Cologne scored 38 goals with Novakovic on the pitch and with 17 goals and 3 assists, he played a part in 20 of them, which equates to 52%.
Raul debut season in the Bundesliga saw him play in every league game for Schalke. A German Cup win and a run to the Champions League semi-finals didn’t hide the fact that the club had a woeful league season, finishing fourth from bottom. Raul was key to their play, though; with 13 goals and 3 assists, he played a part in 45% of the 35 goals Schalke scored with him on the pitch.
Gerard Asamoah missed just seven game for St Pauli last season but his absence proved just how crucial he was to the Bundesliga’s bottom-place team, as they lost 6 and won just 1 of the 7. With 6 goals and 6 assists his goal contribution may not be remarkable compared to other players’ tallies, but given that St Pauli scored a mere 35 in total, it’s clear of his worth to the side. With 27 of those 35 goals coming with Asamoah on the pitch, his contribution towards 12 of the goals equates to 44%. Asamoah only finished 90 minutes thirteen times and with him on the pitch, St Pauli were far more likely to score- 1 goal per 68 mins with him, compared to 1 goal per 87 minutes for the season.
Mario Gomez finished last season as Bundesliga top scorer, finishing the season with 28 goals to his name. Gomez missed just two league games all season but completed the 90 minutes on only 21 occasions for Bayern. With 2 assists in addition to his goal haul, Gomez played a part in 30 of the 69 goals Bayern scored with him on the pitch, which equates to 43%.
Mladen Petric missed 12 games for Hamburg last season and his absence was sorely felt. The club scored 1 goal every 52 minutes with him on the pitch, but their overall for the season dropped to 1 every 66 minutes. His 11 goals and 3 assists meant Petric played a part in 14 goals of the 33 goals Hamburg scored when he was on the pitch, or 42%.
With 17 assists, Christian Tiffert was far and away the biggest creative threat in the Bundesliga last season. The Kaiserslautern midfielder missed just one game as he supplied his side with a fantastic 3.15 Key Passes per game. Tiffert added 2 goals to his contribution, seeing his have a hand in 19 of the 46 goals his side scored with him on the pitch, which equates to 41%.
Marco Reus was another stand-out performer near the bottom of the table. The MGladbach man missed just two games and showed his versatility by playing up front in addition to his usual midfield role. MGladbach lost both games without Reus, as the player’s 10 goals and 8 assists saw him have a hand in 46 of the goals his club scored with him on the pitch, or 39%.
