Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City stars feature in the top 20.
If you are a goalkeeper you won’t fancy facing any of these players, who are sure to keep you busy.
Here is a list of the top 20 in order.
1) Wayne Rooney (4.6 shots per game)
2) Robin van Persie (4.4)
3) Luis Suarez (4.2)
4) Clint Dempsey (3.9)
5) Gareth Bale (3.8)
6) Sergio Aguero (3.5)
7) Mario Balotelli (3.4)
8) Demba Ba (3.2)
9) Emmanuel Adebayor (3.2)
10) Edin Dzeko (3.2)
11) Adel Taarabt (3.2)
12) Daniel Sturridge (3.1)
13) Jamie O’Hara (3.1)
14) Rafael van der Vaart (3)
15) Jermain Defoe (3)
16) Didier Drogba (2.9)
17) Louis Saha (2.8)
18) Scott Sinclair (2.6)
19) Victor Moses (2.6)
20) Chris Eagles (2.5)
Our analysis: Looking at the list it is no surprise to see Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney in the top two, especially when you consider they have scored 60 goals between them this season. It is the third name on the list that is the unexpected one in Luis Suarez, who has scored 15 goals, but could have had far more had he not been so wasteful. Admittedly these figures do not account for accuracy, but they show you the players who are most prepared to have a go, or who find themselves in the right positions to have a go on goal.
The players from the top teams naturally are high on the list, due to their players having more possession, leading to more attacking opportunities. However Clint Dempsey, fourth in this list, plays for 13th placed Fulham, and has scored 18 times this season. His goals record and place on this list is testament to the value of having plenty of shots on goal, regardless of how much possession your team keeps or how successful they are.
One man who can lay claim to being the most unluckiest, or the most wasteful, is QPR’s Adel Taarabt. The Moroccan averages over three shots per game, over 60 attempts this season, but has not scored a single goal. If he had, perhaps QPR may have edged out of the relegation zone- currently in 18th.
Wolves Jamie O’Hara is up in 13th, and the midfielder is clearly a key loss to his side, who are rooted at the bottom of the table. He is not due back until mid-April.
The club with most players in the top 20 is Tottenham, with Bale, Defoe, Van der Vaart, Adebayor, and Saha, while Manchester City have three in the top 10. Manchester United meanwhile are very dependent on Wayne Rooney for testing the goalkeeper, with no other player entering the league’s top 20.
Let us know what you make of the list, are there any surprises in there for you?
image: © Matthew Wilkinson
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