STATS: How have Liverpool and Manchester United men handled pressure?

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Liverpool’s Mario Balotelli, Manchester United’s Robin van Persie and Tottenham Hotspur’s Roberto Soldado squander big chances under pressure.

Some big names have found themselves under scrutiny this season, with strikers always the first to fall under the microscope when the goals dry up and the performance levels dip.

Confidence starts to drain from those who thrive on it and need to be brimming with self-belief in order to do their job to the best of their ability.

Once these doubts creep in, the art of goalscoring suddenly becomes a lot harder than it once was.

Chances are snatched at and opportunities which would usually be gobbled up are wasted without a logical explanation.

This is a problem, though, which effects the very best in the business.

Among those to have come under pressure over recent weeks are Liverpool’s Mario Balotelli, Manchester United’s Robin van Persie and Tottenham Hotspur’s Roberto Soldado.

Southampton’s Graziano Pelle has also endured a frustrating drought in the final third, while big-money Belgians Romelu Lukaku and Christian Benteke have faced some tough questions at Everton and Aston Villa respectively.

The Opta statistics below show that all six have enjoyed mixed fortunes in front of goal, with 29 ‘big chances’ missed between them.

While singling out those in the table above, they are by no means the only ones to have squandered gilt-edged chances.

They are, however, among the more high-profile forwards in the Premier League and are relied upon by their employers to cause as much damage as possible in the final third.

They will all be hoping that the floodgates are about to open, with an untimely injury to Manchester City’s leading marksman Sergio Aguero throwing the race for the Golden Boot wide open once again.

It may be too late for the likes of Balotelli and Soldado to position themselves in that particular mix, but there are still enough games remaining for them to end the campaign with a respectable return and to rebuild damaged reputations.