Who misses the most Big Chances? It’s an Arsenal man…

With all the fuss about Alvaro Morata struggling in front of goal, we thought we would look at the players who have missed the most ‘Big Chances’, as defined by Opta as ‘a situation where a player should reasonably be expected to score’. These players have all missed ten or more such chances…

 

JAMIE VARDY (Leicester City)
Goals: 7
Shots: 38
Conversion rate: 18.42%
Big Chances missed: 10

Three of his goals being penalties has certainly boosted his conversion rate so it’s little wonder that he tried so very hard to earn another spot-kick at the weekend. It has not been a vintage season from Vardy, who has missed more big chances already this season than in the entirety of last season. Right now he is cast as either hero or villain depending on whether you are on the side of eighth-place specialist Claude Puel.

 

ALVARO MORATA (Chelsea)
Goals: 5
Shots: 35
Conversion rate: 14.29%
Big Chances missed: 10

No goals in six Premier League appearances since a brace against Crystal Palace, Morata’s only 90-minute outings since early October have ended in 0-0 draws with Everton and Southampton. It now looks inevitable that the Spaniard will return to his homeland with whichever La Liga club will come closest to matching his Chelsea wages. His wretched 18 months in English football have been pretty forgettable. You have to feel for the man…

 

GABRIEL JESUS (Manchester City)
Goals: 5
Shots: 30
Conversion rate: 16.66%
Big Chances missed: 11

Things have suddenly got far, far better for Gabriel Jesus, who has scored seven goals already in 2019. But it really could not go much worse; back in mid-November he had scored one goal from 14 shots and somehow contrived to miss eight Big Chances. How is that even possible? He leads the Premier League in XG per 90, which basically means he gets handed a shedload of brilliant chances, thanks to some excellent movement and that wonderful Manchester City side.

 

MOHAMED SALAH (Liverpool)
Goals: 14
Shots: 72
Conversion rate: 19.46%
Big Chances missed: 12

Seven goals in his last seven Premier League games from 19 shots. It’s fair to say that he is really, really back. Though some cynics will point to two blanks coming against Manchester City and Manchester United. Sod them; he is brilliant.

 

CALLUM WILSON (Bournemouth)
Goals: 9
Shots: 42
Conversion rate: 21.43%
Big Chances missed: 13

When you look at that conversion rate, you wonder if he might be worth £75m. And then you see how many Big Chances he has missed and you think that he is probably worth about a third of that price. And he has scored just once in the last six weeks. Would he really be a massive upgrade on Morata?

 

PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG (Arsenal)
Goals: 14
Shots: 57
Conversion rate: 24.57%
Big Chances missed: 15

Just think how many goals he could have; Aubameyang has had ten shots in his last three games and scored just one goal. This is the argument against Arsenal having a creativity problem – Sead Kolasinac would argue that he keeps putting it on a plate for the big man…