What makes a great striker? It is a question that many pundits and writers alike have asked themselves over the years. Do you look for the poacher instincts of a Romario, the power, strength and finishing of Ronaldo or do you go for the prolific goal scoring prowess of a Gerd Muller? The list of attributes that make the best strikers is as varied as it is long.
The skills your striker needs changes with the style of your play. Romario would probably have struggled in a Sam Allardyce 4-5-1 the same way Kevin Davies might not be as effective in the current Barcelona side.
Outside of styles the next thing people look at is the stats. Goals, goals per game, shots on goal, shots on target and much much more. Looking over the stats from the best strikers this season it is interesting to see a variety of styles and how their stats compare. Some of the big names are way down the list where as some unexpected players find themselves amongst the top names.
In Ligue 1 this year there were two clear names running away at the top of the scoring charts. Lille’s Moussa Sow finished with 25 goals and PSG’s new striker Kevin Gameiro wasn’t far behind with 22 goals for Lorient. Following them was Youssef El-Arabi of Caen, Lyon’s Lisandro Lopez and Valenciennes big man Gregory Pujol all with 17 goals each.
Honourable mentions go to Brown Ideye and Mobido Maiga of Sochaux, both scoring 15 goals, a great joint effort. The top five scored 98 goals between them which is a huge difference from the 79 that last year’s top five managed. Mamadou Niang topped last year’s charts with 18 for Marseille, Kevin Gameiro was second on 17.
Comparing this year to last year doesn’t really mean much until you count the total goals in each season. Interestingly the total goals dropped by 26 this year. In the 2009/10 season 916 goals were scored in Ligue 1 compared to 890 this season. This drop in goals only magnifies the superb forward play from Moussa Sow & Co. With fewer goals per match the importance of having a striker in form is definitely clear to see.
One of the main reasons that Arles-Avignon, Lens and Monaco were relegated to Ligue 2 was from a lack of goals. Out of all three teams only Monaco’s Park Chu-Young finished the season in double figures. Next down the list is Ismael Jemaa of Lens with five goals. The simple fact is, if you have a striker that scores goals there is a good chance you will stay up.
Of course with most analysis in football, stats only make up half the story but they remain a consistent way to measure success. Strikers can go through dips in form over a season so if you can find some consistency it can be a real bonus. The goals per game average is an ideal way to measure this.
Moussa Sow leads the way with 0.69 goals per game, Lisandro Lopez (0.62) and Kevin Gameiro (0.61) follow close behind. Gregory Pujol (0.51) scores a goal every other game. Closing out the top five is Loic Remy (0.48). Only Remy just dropping below a goal every other game, which is still surprising as the consensus has been that Marseille’s forwards had a poor season. Andre-Pierre Gignac was down at (0.25) in what was a poor season for him.
Tied in with goals per game is the measure of goals per minute. This can give an idea of the impact that a player can have. Although not near the top of the scoring charts Lille’s substitute striker Pierre-Alain Frau finished on a goal every 186 minutes which is slightly better than teammate Gervinho (189). Of course Frau only scored 5 goals compared to Gervinho’s 15 but it shows the sort of prowess that could come in handy to the likes of Caen or Bordeaux next season.
Top of the goals per minute chart was Lille’s Moussa Sow (112) followed by Lisandro (122). Kevin Gameiro was a little further down (146) as was Remy (146) and Gregory Pujol impressed with (169).
As important as it is to put the ball in the back of the net, it is just as important to get into the position to threaten the opposition goal. Shots on goal are a fairly good way of measuring this. There will be the odd speculative shot from 25-30 yards but most will be part of good positioning and the ability to get a shot off with defenders closing in.
Kevin Gameiro leads the way with 136 shots but only 46% on target. Moussa Sow is next 45% of his 101 shots found the target. Guillaume Hoarau (98) Gervinho (93) and Gignac (93) make up the top five although from those three only Gervinho had more than 45% on target. Hoarau 38% and Gignac 36% will be disappointed with their efforts.
Loic Remy and Gregory Pujol show their accuracy with 52% and 50% of their shots on target. Lisandro Lopez (48%) and Mobido Maiga (46%) show they are dangerous when given space front of goal. Lopez scored 17 goals from only 29 shots on target which is very impressive strike rate.
One interesting fact is the amount of penalties scored by the top marksmen, sometimes a players can add 5 or so goals by taking the penalties but not for these strikers. Lisandro and Gameiro scored only two and El-Arabi and Sow scored one. Sow’s coming in the last game of the season against Rennes.
Statistics of course are only half the story, things like opening goals, 90th minute winners, away goals and important equalisers aren’t tracked by analysts. A goal is a goal but a 90th minute winner away from home is much more important than the 4th in a 4-1 home win. It’s something the Americans know as “clutch”. Who will step up and prove decisive with their club needs them most.
Going through the season the top strikers scored some important goals. Lisandro Lopez has impressed with some of his stats but his important moments are few and far between. The opener in the 3-1 home win over Lille, and an early goal in the 2-0 win over Toulouse. His best moment probably when he scored the opener and a 90th minute winner in the 2-1 win away at Montpellier.
Moussa Sow was deadly for Lille this year, including his three hat-tricks he also scored a 90th minute winner against Auxerre, his first goal for his new team was a equaliser away at Rennes, he also scored the opening goal against Montpellier and then scored the 2nd after they pulled the scores level, Lille went on to win 3-1. Another winner away at Brest at a crucial part of the season should how valuable Sow’s goals were this season.
Kevin Gameiro and Youssef El-Arabi both had their moments. The Lorient man scored winners against St-Etienne and Brest, then important equalisers against Lille and Lens. El-Arabi started the season with the winner against Marseille and the opener in a 3-2 win over Lyon. Then two 90th minute goals, an equaliser against Auxerre and the winner over St-Etienne.
One of the most influential strikers this season has been the unfancied Gregory Pujol of Valenciennes. Scoring two goals in a 3-2 win over Marseille at home followed by a double in a 2-0 win against Monaco were a great start plus a 87th minute equaliser against Lille and the 2nd in a 2-1 win over Lyon. However his best run was the four goals in four games in April, three of them away from home and his side picked up five crucial points. He then finished the season with both goals as Valenciennes beat Nice 2-1 at home to secure their future in Ligue 1.
It is impossible to pick out one player as the BEST in Ligue 1, it’s clear to see there is plenty of talent in the league. When players like Olivier Giroud Anthony Modeste, Bafetimbi Gomis and Nolan Roux don’t get a mention it hopefully shows the amount of talent in the league.
When it comes to picking the best there are far too many variables to do the decision justice. How good would Moussa Sow be in a battling Valenciennes team struggling to get above mid-table. Would Gregory Pujol set the league on fire if he played in a better team like PSG or Marseille. We will probably never know. The most important thing is that sides pick strikers that fit their style and look to get the best out of them. Hopefully next season we can look forward to three or four players scoring 20+ goals.
