Thinking that Olivier Giroud has made a great leap this season, taking him into another level? Well, not all numbers and statistics support that theory, showing that among the league’s top strikers, no one is as wasteful and inefficient as Arsenal’s French forward.
With 7 goals so far, he ranks below Rooney, Lukaku, Remy, Sturridge, Aguero and finally Suarez. His goals per minute numbers are far worse, ranking lower than Robin van Persie and Alvaro Negredo, who have scored the same amount of goals he has. Giroud, unlike the rest of the forwards in the league, maybe because he has an excellent midfield to constantly supply him with balls and chances, gets more tries at goal than anyone else, yet fails to make the most of them.
|
Player
|
Goals
|
Goals per 90 Minutes
|
SpG
|
Shots on Target %
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luis Suárez | 17 | 1.55 | 4.00 | 54.41% |
| Sergio Agüero | 13 | 1.04 | 4.77 | 50.00% |
| Daniel Sturridge | 9 | 0.82 | 4.56 | 46.34% |
| Aaron Ramsey | 8 | 0.54 | 4.75 | 55.26% |
| Yaya Touré | 8 | 0.50 | 3.63 | 41.38% |
| Loïc Remy | 8 | 0.66 | 5.88 | 36.17% |
| Romelu Lukaku | 8 | 0.70 | 5.00 | 50.00% |
| Wayne Rooney | 8 | 0.61 | 5.63 | 44.44% |
| Olivier Giroud | 7 | 0.48 | 7.86 | 30.91% |
| Robin van Persie | 7 | 0.69 | 4.71 | 36.36% |
| Álvaro Negredo | 7 | 0.69 | 4.86 | 38.24% |
| Eden Hazard | 6 | 0.41 | 5.17 | 45.16% |
| Jay Rodriguez | 6 | 0.48 | 6.00 | 41.67% |
| Oscar | 5 | 0.45 | 5.80 | 41.38% |
| Yoan Gouffran | 5 | 0.42 | 4.00 | 45.00% |
No one makes more attempts at goal than Olivier Giroud, but his goals per minute numbers and accuracy (shots on target) are the worst among the best strikers in the Premier League, and even falling behind midfielders like Aaron Ramsey and Loic Remy.
A player can’t be judged on scoring alone, but strikers are usually measured a bit differently. Numbers don’t always penetrate and tell the whole story in football/soccer, but in Giroud’s case, it does draw a picture of a very wasteful striker, an one that might need to change his approach a little bit, especially considering he’s been going through some sort of drought lately.
Arsenal don’t have anyone better, so we’re not going to see a change. Giroud gives them a lot in terms of aerial dominance and the ability to provide a reliable long ball target when necessary, excellent at holding up play. But these numbers suggest that some rest, with Theo Walcott starting instead of him, or playing a bit more in a two-forward setup, can help Giroud get some pressure off his back, and possibly become a bit more efficient for his and the club’s own good.