Talking Tactics

Stats stars: Why Salah offers more than goals

1 Jun 2020

Liverpool's Egyptian has the league's most dangerous left foot and has created more chances than any forward in 2019/20, writes Adrian Clarke

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Adrian Clarke looks at the standout individual statistics by position in the 2019/20 Premier League season so far.

Strikers

Jamie Vardy and Danny Ings have been the most adaptable finishers inside the penalty area this season.

Both strikers would regard their right foot as the strongest but each has scored only two fewer goals with their so-called weaker foot. 

The Premier League's leading scorer, Vardy, has netted seven of his 19 goals via his left boot, while six of Ings's 15 goals have come the same way.

Top scorers 2019/20
Player Goals
Jamie Vardy (LEI) 19
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (ARS) 17
Sergio Aguero (MCI) 16
Mohamed Salah (LIV) 16
Danny Ings (SOU) 15
Sadio Mane (LIV) 14
Marcus Rashford (MUN) 14

Of the competition's leading marksmen the Leicester City and Southampton players have the most even spread of goals with either foot. 

Vardy, 33, also boasts the most doubles from any striker in the league this season, scoring four of them.

Unsurprisingly Mohamed Salah has the most dangerous left foot of the Premier League’s forwards, scoring 13 of his 16 goals in that manner.

Liverpool's Egyptian has not been as prolific as in the previous campaign, but his finishing remains superb.

The player who has been most clinical with his right foot is Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero, scoring 12 of his goals that way.

His closest right-footed challengers are Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and rapidly improving Manchester United star Marcus Rashford

Most goals with either foot
Left foot Right foot
Mohamed Salah (LIV) 13 Sergio Aguero (MCI) 12
Jamie Vardy (LEI) 7 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (ARS) 11
Danny Ings (SOU) 6 Marcus Rashford (MUN) 11

Three top-flight forwards stand out as being the most rounded in terms of their style of play, with two of them belonging to leaders Liverpool.

As well as having the most shots in the penalty area, Salah has also created the most chances among players in his position. 

Roberto Firmino also features among the top performers in these categories, while Wolverhampton WanderersRaul Jimenez is the second highest-ranked player in both. 

Equally capable of hurting opponents with a clinical finish or a killer pass, the Mexican is rightly regarded as a brilliant all-round striker.

Most shots in box and chances created
Shots in box Chances created
Mohamed Salah (LIV) 81 Mohamed Salah (LIV) 47
Raul Jimenez (WOL) 78 Raul Jimenez (WOL) 42
Roberto Firmino (LIV) 76 Sadio Mane (LIV) 41
Tammy Abraham (CHE) 65 Roberto Firmino (LIV) 39
Gabriel Jesus (MCI) 63 Raheem Sterling (MCI) 36

Jimenez is just as strong in the air as he is on the ground.

Wolves’ top scorer ranks level with a selection of other front men for the most headed shots on target during the current campaign, with eight.

Sheffield United’s target man Oliver McBurnie is another who has caught the eye in attacking high balls. 

And helped by the left-footed supply of Dwight McNeil and Lucas Digne respectively, Burnley’s Chris Wood and Everton's Richarlison are two of the most threatening players in the competition in the air, too. 

Most headed shots on target
Player Headed goals Headed shots on target
Chris Wood (BUR) 5 8
Raul Jimenez (WOL) 3 8
Richarlison (EVE) 3 8
Oliver McBurnie (SHU) 1 8
Tammy Abraham (CHE) 3 7
Gabriel Jesus (MCI) 2 7

Wood's five headed goals are more than any player in the competition this season, one more than centre-forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk.

Also in this series

Part 1: Stats stars: Dubravka among league's best goalkeepers
Part 2: Stats stars: Pereira edges Wan-Bissaka as top tackler
Part 3: Stats stars: Rodri and Gundogan offer central control 
Part 4: Stats stars: De Bruyne the most creative player

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