We head into the season’s second international break and Europe’s top five leagues are really in the swing of things.
While there is much of the season still to come, patterns are emerging. Teams that are great now are likely to remain great. Teams that are struggling will find it hard not to. And players who are scoring are likely to continue doing so – indeed, the top scorers of each of the leagues is a who’s who of great names.
That High Five includes Leo Messi, Paulo Dybala, Romelu Lukaku, Radamel Falcao and Robert Lewandowski. An incredible quintet. So incredible that we here at Squawka have decided to compare them based on their performances so far this season to see who is excelling in which category.
Leo Messi: The Greatest
Club: Barcelona
Minutes: 630
Goals: 11 (1.57 per-90)
With Ernesto Valverde switching to a false nine system, Leo Messi is the only member of the High Five to spend the majority of his time during games playing as a controlling central midfielder. Playing so deep explains why Messi has taken the most shots. His 42 efforts have yielded 11 goals, giving him a 26% shot conversion that is bottom of the list. However he has bagged 1.57 goals per-90.
It’s notable that for all his range shooting, all of Messi’s 11 goals have come inside the box as he has raced forward to finish moves that he himself began a couple of passes ago. He’s had 12 shots from “big chances” leading to 9 goals, a 75% conversion. His triple threat as scorer, creator and dribbler are witnessed when you see that he has created 13 chances, completed 283 passes and 41 take-ons. All three numbers are highest among the High Five.
Thanks to his team-mates struggling, more than ever Leo Messi is absolutely everything to Barcelona. He is their orchestrating midfield, their dynamic winger and then their lethal finisher. He has led them to an incredible 7 wins out of 7, leaving them a comfortable five points clear at the top of La Liga.
Goals: 7 (1.00 per-90)
Lukaku has played every single minute of United’s lead campaign thus far, and his 23 shots gives him a conversion rate of 30% which isn’t ideal. Seven of his goals have come from “big chances,” of which he’s had 12, giving him a “big chance” conversion of 58%. These are impressive enough, but the worst or second worst tallies among this High Five. So he’s about par for goalscoring.
Where he’s excelling is all the other stuff. The things where his technique and supposed lack of intelligence were supposedly going to hold him back. Turns out that just because he could probably benchpress the combined weight of Spain’s 2010 World Cup winning midfield, doesn’t mean he couldn’t also, you know, control a football first-time or move intelligently.
Lukaku has won 21 aerial duels this season, which is twice as many as anyone else in the High Five. He’s attempted the fewest passes (148) but yet created the second-most chances with 12. He’s using the ball judiciously to put his team-mates in great positions. He’s the figurehead on the prow of the good ship United, leading from the front, linking with team-mates and providing a constant goal threat as United have won all but one of their games and remain joint-top of the Premier League.
Goals: 10 (1.62 per-90)
Dybala isn’t top of many categories, but seems to be second or third in everything. Not yet a king, but certainly a prince. His 10 goals come from 30 shots, giving him a shot conversion of 33% (second), his “big chance” conversion rate? 80% (second). Moreover he has played just 555 minutes, the lowest on the list; this gives him 1.62 goals per-90 (second).
Dybala is a dynamic creator, with 11 chances created (third). He’s also completed 25 take-ons (second) and 264 passes (second) after attempting 309 (second). He has also scored 50% of Juve’s goals (second). He tops the High Five in just two areas: pass completion, where he has 85%, and shots from range, where his 3 goals, one from a free-kick, puts him well ahead of the others.
Dybala’s excellence has fired Juventus to a record of 19 points (second). There is so much yet to come from this Argentine prince. His coronation will be soon.
Goals: 8 (1.19 per-90)
Lewandowski and Aubameyang both top the Bundesliga scoring charts with 8 goals, but Lewandowski is included in the High Five because he his 1.19 per-90 rate is superior to Aubameyang’s 1.15. Lewandowski has managed his 8 goals from just 24 shots, giving a conversion rate of 33%.
Notable for Lewandowski, however, is that of his 8 goals, 3 were penalties. He has a 100% conversion rate from the spot, and a 0% conversion rate from 2 free-kicks he has taken. meaning that from open-play Bayern’s supreme striker has taken 19 shots and scored 5 goals. That’s a shocking (for a no. 9) 26% conversion rate and just 0.75 goals per-90 and perhaps goes a way to explain why Bayern are five points behind German league leaders Borussia Dortmund.
Goals: 12 (1.64 per-90)
Falcao has played more games than anyone else (8 to 7) and more minutes too, yet he still comes out on top when you look at the goalscoring efforts per-90. He’s a mind-boggling consistent goalscorer: no one on the High Five can match his 12 goals, nor his 1.64 goals per-90 and they can’t even come close to his utterly ludicrous 63% shot conversion rate. That’s right, his 12 goals have come from just 19 shots.
Just when you think that’s amazing (seriously, Falcao’s shot conversion is 30% higher than anyone else in the High Five) Falcao goes and blows that out of the water with his “big chances.” The Colombian has had 10 created for him by his Monaco team-mates and he’s scored all 10 of them.
Seriously. Falcao’s “big chance” conversion rate is 100%. At this point in his career (at 31 he’s the oldest here) he’s a penalty box poacher, the man who applies the killing stroke, and he does it better than anyone else with 55% of Monaco’s 20 league goals as they sit second in Ligue 1.
While there is much of the season still to come, patterns are emerging. Teams that are great now are likely to remain great. Teams that are struggling will find it hard not to. And players who are scoring are likely to continue doing so – indeed, the top scorers of each of the leagues is a who’s who of great names.
That High Five includes Leo Messi, Paulo Dybala, Romelu Lukaku, Radamel Falcao and Robert Lewandowski. An incredible quintet. So incredible that we here at Squawka have decided to compare them based on their performances so far this season to see who is excelling in which category.
Leo Messi: The Greatest
Club: Barcelona
Minutes: 630
Goals: 11 (1.57 per-90)
With Ernesto Valverde switching to a false nine system, Leo Messi is the only member of the High Five to spend the majority of his time during games playing as a controlling central midfielder. Playing so deep explains why Messi has taken the most shots. His 42 efforts have yielded 11 goals, giving him a 26% shot conversion that is bottom of the list. However he has bagged 1.57 goals per-90.
It’s notable that for all his range shooting, all of Messi’s 11 goals have come inside the box as he has raced forward to finish moves that he himself began a couple of passes ago. He’s had 12 shots from “big chances” leading to 9 goals, a 75% conversion. His triple threat as scorer, creator and dribbler are witnessed when you see that he has created 13 chances, completed 283 passes and 41 take-ons. All three numbers are highest among the High Five.
Thanks to his team-mates struggling, more than ever Leo Messi is absolutely everything to Barcelona. He is their orchestrating midfield, their dynamic winger and then their lethal finisher. He has led them to an incredible 7 wins out of 7, leaving them a comfortable five points clear at the top of La Liga.
Romelu Lukaku: The Figurehead
Club: Manchester United
Minutes: 630Goals: 7 (1.00 per-90)
Lukaku has played every single minute of United’s lead campaign thus far, and his 23 shots gives him a conversion rate of 30% which isn’t ideal. Seven of his goals have come from “big chances,” of which he’s had 12, giving him a “big chance” conversion of 58%. These are impressive enough, but the worst or second worst tallies among this High Five. So he’s about par for goalscoring.
Where he’s excelling is all the other stuff. The things where his technique and supposed lack of intelligence were supposedly going to hold him back. Turns out that just because he could probably benchpress the combined weight of Spain’s 2010 World Cup winning midfield, doesn’t mean he couldn’t also, you know, control a football first-time or move intelligently.
Lukaku has won 21 aerial duels this season, which is twice as many as anyone else in the High Five. He’s attempted the fewest passes (148) but yet created the second-most chances with 12. He’s using the ball judiciously to put his team-mates in great positions. He’s the figurehead on the prow of the good ship United, leading from the front, linking with team-mates and providing a constant goal threat as United have won all but one of their games and remain joint-top of the Premier League.
Paulo Dybala: Il Principe
Club: Juventus
Minutes: 555Goals: 10 (1.62 per-90)
Dybala isn’t top of many categories, but seems to be second or third in everything. Not yet a king, but certainly a prince. His 10 goals come from 30 shots, giving him a shot conversion of 33% (second), his “big chance” conversion rate? 80% (second). Moreover he has played just 555 minutes, the lowest on the list; this gives him 1.62 goals per-90 (second).
Dybala is a dynamic creator, with 11 chances created (third). He’s also completed 25 take-ons (second) and 264 passes (second) after attempting 309 (second). He has also scored 50% of Juve’s goals (second). He tops the High Five in just two areas: pass completion, where he has 85%, and shots from range, where his 3 goals, one from a free-kick, puts him well ahead of the others.
Dybala’s excellence has fired Juventus to a record of 19 points (second). There is so much yet to come from this Argentine prince. His coronation will be soon.
Robert Lewandowski: The Spot-Kick King
Club: Bayern Munich
Minutes: 604Goals: 8 (1.19 per-90)
Lewandowski and Aubameyang both top the Bundesliga scoring charts with 8 goals, but Lewandowski is included in the High Five because he his 1.19 per-90 rate is superior to Aubameyang’s 1.15. Lewandowski has managed his 8 goals from just 24 shots, giving a conversion rate of 33%.
Notable for Lewandowski, however, is that of his 8 goals, 3 were penalties. He has a 100% conversion rate from the spot, and a 0% conversion rate from 2 free-kicks he has taken. meaning that from open-play Bayern’s supreme striker has taken 19 shots and scored 5 goals. That’s a shocking (for a no. 9) 26% conversion rate and just 0.75 goals per-90 and perhaps goes a way to explain why Bayern are five points behind German league leaders Borussia Dortmund.
Radamel Falcao: Mr. 100%
Club: Monaco
Minutes: 657Goals: 12 (1.64 per-90)
Falcao has played more games than anyone else (8 to 7) and more minutes too, yet he still comes out on top when you look at the goalscoring efforts per-90. He’s a mind-boggling consistent goalscorer: no one on the High Five can match his 12 goals, nor his 1.64 goals per-90 and they can’t even come close to his utterly ludicrous 63% shot conversion rate. That’s right, his 12 goals have come from just 19 shots.
Just when you think that’s amazing (seriously, Falcao’s shot conversion is 30% higher than anyone else in the High Five) Falcao goes and blows that out of the water with his “big chances.” The Colombian has had 10 created for him by his Monaco team-mates and he’s scored all 10 of them.
Seriously. Falcao’s “big chance” conversion rate is 100%. At this point in his career (at 31 he’s the oldest here) he’s a penalty box poacher, the man who applies the killing stroke, and he does it better than anyone else with 55% of Monaco’s 20 league goals as they sit second in Ligue 1.
Vote
- Who do you think is the best goalscorer in Europe’s big 5 leagues this season?
- Messi
- Lukaku
- Lewandowski
- Dybala
- Falcao
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