To say Marko Arnautovic has made a positive impact since the arrival of David Moyes would be an understatement. The Scot has certainly got an outstanding work-rate and effort, with a much improved attitude, out of Arnie with promise of further improvement to come. For me the biggest area for this improvement is his conversion rate.
As a club West Ham don’t fare too badly in terms of conversion rates. When I looked at the stats I was a little surprised to find out that our lads are 6th in the conversion rate table with 36 goals from 199 shots (18.1%). One place above us sit Everton with 33 goals from 177 shots (18.6%). No big surprise to discover that the top 6 sides in the Prem are the same top 6 in chances created. Our problem doesn’t seem to be taking chances rather making them is the issue. In the ‘London League’ of goals/shots, which includes 3 of the top 6 sides, we top the table. Arsenal are on 17%, the Spudz on 16.9% and Chelsea, down in 11th, are on 16.2%. Not much of a consolation, I know, but a small crumb of positivity in the difficult times we find ourselves.
Back to Marko’s the proof of the pudding is very much in the eating. When you compare his return with that of Javier Hernandez it’s clear he needs more scoring opportunities to find the back of the net than his strike partner. Despite a respectable goals per game of a whisker under 1 in 3, which is one game better than Chicha for his 7 goals this season, although Javier edges it in goals per minute at 205 vs 219, Arnie’s conversion rate sits at just 16.3% – below the average for the whole team. On top of that he also has a high ‘big chances missed’ tally of 5. You would probably expect it from a poacher like Chica but his 7 goals have come from just 26 shots giving an impressive conversion rate of 26.9%. He’s also missed less ‘big chances’ with 3. When it comes to shots on target Javier has a higher percentage of of 54% compared to Arnie’s 47%.
We all know that strikers come in many categories. Some of Europe’s top marksmen, essentially, play out wide much of the time while others are more of a no.10 playing ‘in the hole’. It’s not, necessarily, pure goal pochers, or out and out strikers, at the top of the scoring charts. But with West Ham creating less chances it’s very important that strikers are more clinical in front of goal. It’s not just about stats – there’s a much bigger picture. Take a player like Teddy Sherringham. His stats don’t compare favourably with either of the aforementioned forwards but if you were given the choice of having him, as his former self, in the current squad you’d bite his arm off. The 199 chances that the team have created this season would undoubtedly, in my humble, be far greater with a forward of his intelligence in the side. In terms of both being in the right place at the right time to score, as well as create, chances was something he became a master of.
For the most part Diafra Sakho and Andy Carroll’s stats don’t compare well. AC, especially, has had a poor season (when he’s managed to take the field) with 2 goals in 12 games at the same time as sharing a 26 shot total with Chicha. Andrew Ayew didn’t set the sky alight, either, with 3 goals from 21 appearances. In the cold light of day Michail Antonio has had a bit of a mare in front of goal this term too however injury has blighted him and, when you consider he’s scored 2 in the last 2, he seems to be recovering some of the form that made him so effective in previous seasons.
If Arnie continues to play the way he is then he’ll become a firm favourite with the fans. In time, dare I say, possibly even a legend of the club. When he’s ‘on it’ the contribution to the team is huge but if there’s one area for improvement it’s finishing. More work to do.
COYI! West Ham 4 The 2019 Cup!
(Statistics quoted from premierleague.com & transfermarkt.com).