Aguero - Another Quality Forward for the Premier League

The transfer of Sergio Aguero from Athletic Madrid to Man City is a truly significant coup for the Premier League side. Having been linked with Juventus and Real Madrid, Aguero has instead opted for the ambitious Abu-Dhabi owned club and the move brings a true world-class talent to England’s top-flight.

Aguero’s arrival adds yet another outstanding forward to the Premier League this calendar year, following Luis Suarez’s move to Liverpool back in January. In just 13 games, Suarez has shown just what a quality act he is, though the Uruguayan wasn’t the only forward to stand out last season.

In this article, we take a look at Aguero’s role within the Athletico side last season and, applying this analysis to the top five forwards in the Premier League last season, highlight the sheer variety of top-class forward talent on offer ahead of the new campaign’s kick-off in just over a fortnight’s time:

Carlos Tevez - WhoScored.com rating 7.56. 8 Man of the Match Awards.

Shooting
Man City were almost overly-reliant on Tevez’s goal threat last term- his 2.8 shots per game were easily the highest amount from Roberto Mancini’s side. Although Mario Balotelli made 2.1, he played just 17 games. City’s next best for shots was Aleksander Kolarov with 1.5; a left-back. Tevez’s shooting accuracy was impressive here- 55% of all shots were on target, identical to Sergio Aguero and only beaten by Van Persie.

Tevez had a total of 87 shots at goal last term and scored 20 goals- a truly clinical ratio of 1 goal per 4.35 shots, the most lethal of all our forwards. His goal contribution was crucial to the third-placed club- Balotelli and Edin Dzeko, Mancini’s other two big-money forwards, scored 8 goals from 32 games between them.

Dribbling
Like Van Persie, Tevez has a tendency to drop deep but when on the ball, he prefers to take matters into his own hands- he made a total 3.7 dribbles per game, the third best of our forwards. Tevez managed a 2.04 successful dribbles per game, a figure bettered only by Luis Suarez and Sergio Aguero here. At City, only Yaya Toure came close, with 1.5. David Silva managed just 1 per game for Mancini’s side.

Passing
It says a lot about City’s style of play that their two defensive midfielders are in the top three for passes per game- Gareth Barry (53.9) and Nigel de Jong (49.2). With the side content to keep the ball in deep positions, Tevez would continually come deep to get the ball and try to make things happen- he averaged 35.4 passes per game, less than only Wayne Rooney and Suarez.

He has the best pass accuracy (83%) of our six forwards and in terms of creativity, his 1.7 key passes per game were second to David Silva (2.1) at City. Tevez also picked up 6 assists as a result, with Silva pipping him on 7. Tevez therefore played a part in 27 of City’s 60 goals last season- it’s clear the side need someone else to share the burden.

Robin Van Persie - WhoScored.com rating 7.55. 8 Man of the Match Awards.

Shooting
Top scorer for Arsenal with 18 goals, Van Persie was a phenomenon in the second half of last season. Samir Nasri was second-top scorer for the Gunners with 10 goals but given that he scored just 3 goals from January onwards, it’s clear just how much the side was dependant on the Dutchman.

Van Persie managed 3.4 shots per game, second only to Suarez in our six featured forwards, and, with a total of 25 games played, this means he took a total of 85 shots last season. With 18 goals, therefore, Van Persie scored 1 goal with every 4.72 shots, the second most impressive finishing rate of our featured forwards, behind Carlos Tevez (4.35).The Arsenal man had 2.28 shots on target per game, top for our six forwards- as a percentage, this accuracy is also the most impressive, equating to 67%. 

Dribbling
Of all Arsenal’s first-team members, Nasri led the way for successful dribbles- with 2 per game, his rate is more than double Van Persie’s 0.94. Walcott, Arshavin and Fabregas all bettered Van Persie here- the Gunners’ 4-2-3-1 giving their attacking midfielders more freedom in possession and time to take a man on than their lone front man. Van Persie was the lowest of our six forwards for total dribbles too, with just 1.83 per match. 

Passing
Van Persie was also one of the lowest for passes of any Arsenal player- he made just 25.8 per game. This was more than Arshavin or Walcott, however, as he dropped deep on occasion to link up with his midfield. Fabregas made 63.9 and Nasri 48.9 passes, with both playing a far more significant part in the side’s build-up play.

In spite of making almost half the number of passes as Nasri, Van Persie, however, was his equal creatively- he made 1.8 key passes to Nasri’s 1.9, though Fabregas led the way for Wenger’s side with 2.9 per game. When it came to assists, only Fabregas and Arshavin, with 11 apiece, made more than Van Persie, though- he managed 8, also third best of our six forwards here.

Luis Suarez - WhoScored.com rating 7.38. 0 Man of the Match Awards.

Shooting
His arrival at Liverpool in January gave the club a new dimension in the second half of the season. Suarez averaged the most shots per game of any Liverpool player, with 3.6, 1 per game more than the man he replaced, Fernando Torres. Andy Carroll was next best, with 1.9. Suarez also tops the list of our forwards here, a clear sign of just how quickly he’s adapted to life in the Premier League. He managed 1.83 of those shots on target, which is just 50% of his total shots.

Suarez played 13 games in total for Kenny Dalglish’s side last term and surprisingly found the net on just 4 occasions from a total of 47 shots. This means he scored 1 goal per 11.75 shots, the lowest conversion rate of our forwards here.

Dribbles
With an astonishing 8 dribbles per game, Suarez attempted more than Rooney, Van Persie and Tevez combined. His dynamic displays mean he never rests and is always looking to take a man on before having a shot- no surprise he was Player of the Tournament in this month’s Copa America. He made 3.67 successful dribbles per game, double that of Liverpool’s next best player, Glen Johnson.

Passing
Suarez made 35.9 passes per game, second only to Rooney (42.3) here. Steven Gerrard made the most for Liverpool with 59.8 though the midfielder played just five times for Dalglish before a groin injury finished his season- the pattern of distribution should change over the course of next season, with many players’ stats still reflecting the side’s play under Roy Hodgson.

Suarez made 1.9 key passes per game- the third best creative presence for Dalglish’s side and also third highest of our six forwards, just behind Rooney (2.1) and Drogba (2). He picked up just 3 assists, however, but his displays were outstanding and give Liverpool fans plenty of hope ahead of the upcoming campaign.

Sergio Aguero - WhoScored.com rating 7.36. 6 Man of the Match Awards.

Shooting
With 20 goals for Athletico Madrid last season, Aguero was third-top scorer in La Liga. His goals were as integral to his side as Carlos Tevez- Athletico scored 62 goals in total and Diego Forlan, Aguero’s strike partner, grabbed just 8 as his side finished fifth.

Aguero averaged 3.3 shots per game, second to Suarez’s 3.6 of our forwards here. His importance to Athletico is underlined by the fact that Forlan had the second highest number of shots per game for the Spanish club, with 2.3. He managed a total of 105 shots over the season- only Drogba, with 108, had more. His shooting accuracy was also one of the most impressive on show- 1.83 of his 3.3 shots were on target, equating to 55%, a ratio only Van Persie bettered.

Dribbling
Aguero attempted a brilliant 5.25 dribbles per game for Athletico. While Suarez’s 8 leads the way here, Aguero is head and shoulders above any of our other featured players- Tevez is next closest with 3.7. With a total of 2.31 successful dribbles per game, Ageuro was second to Jose Antonio Reyes (2.4) at Athletico but a look at the next best- left-back Felipe Luis on 0.8- shows how reliant the club were on his contribution here, too.

Passing
Thiago, Athletico’s central midfield playmaker, was the club’s main passer making 53.2 passes per game. The front pairing of Aguero and Forlan made just 21 passes each, as the duo played little part in their side’s build-up. In comparison here, Rooney made more than twice the number of passes (42.3) per game as Aguero, though this is clearly a reflection of his role within the team; Athletico played with a front two on 26 occasions last term. At City, within a 4-2-3-1, he’ll surely see much more of the ball.

As a result of his low possession, Aguero made just 1.2 key passes per game - the lowest creative score of the six- and picked up just 2 assists, preferring to take a man on and have a go at goal himself. With Forlan in such poor finishing form, who can blame him?

Wayne Rooney - WhoScored.com rating 7.35. 4 Man of the Match Awards.

Shooting
Nani was the only Man United player to average more shots per game than Wayne Rooney- the winger made 3.1 per game to the England man’s 2.8. This was joint-bottom of our featured six players, though, the same amount as Tevez. Rooney had less shots on target per game than Tevez though, with 1.43 per game seeing him bottom here.

Rooney scored 11 goals from a total of 78 shots, meaning he scored 1 goal with every 7.09 shots, a finishing ratio better than both Drogba and Suarez. Playing as the deep-lying strike partner first to Berbatov, then Hernandez, Rooney’s 11 goals saw him finish the season as third top scorer at Old Trafford, behind the aforementioned pair, on 20 and 13 goals respectively.

Dribbling

With the pace of Hernandez ahead of him, Rooney often uses his eye for a pass to create chances for the Mexican and as a result, his game is not so much about excessive dribbling. He attempted just 2 per game, superior only to Van Persie here. His successful dribbles, 1.13 per game, are again second worst of our forwards and are surprisingly lower than Didier Drogba’s attempts per game. United’s 4-4-2 means they rely on the dribbling of wide men Nani (2.5) and Valencia (1.5) more than those playing more central.

Passing

With Rooney the creator and Hernandez the finisher, United have a lethal front partnership. Dropping deep to receive possession and with Hernandez playing on the shoulder of the last defender, Rooney sees more of the ball than any of our forwards, with 42.3 passes per game. Hernandez, with a mere 16.6 passes per game, shows how minimal a part he plays in United’s build-up play- his game is about putting the ball in the net. As a result, Rooney made an impressive 2.1 key passes per game, once again the most of our forwards, picking up 11 assists for the champions.

Didier Drogba - WhoScored.com rating 7.32. 2 Man of the Match Awards.

Shooting
With 3 shots per game for Chelsea, Drogba was easily the club’s biggest goal threat; Frank Lampard, with 2.3, was the next best, with new boy Fernando Torres managing just 1.1. Drogba’s presence up front was crucial to Chelsea- he missed just two games last season, with the club failing to score in either.

Drogba had more shots at goal than any of our featured forwards, with a total of 108 over the 2010/11 season, though with 11 goals, he scored 1 goal with every 9.81 shots, the second lowest finishing rate here. Nevertheless, only Malouda (14) scored more for Carlo Ancelotti’s runners-up.

Dribbling

For a target man mainly playing up front alone in a 4-3-3, Drogba still impressed when it came to taking an opponent on. He attempted 2.93 per game, more than Van Persie and Rooney here. He again topped the duo for successful dribbles too, averaging 1.33 per game.

Passing

With 13 assists, Drogba leads the way for our featured forwards. The Chelsea man eclipsed Rooney’s 11, though he did play 8 games more. Drogba made more assists than any of his team mates too and also won 55% of his aerial duels, better than all our forwards, with his barnstorming, physical game suiting Chelsea’s style of play perfectly.

He made just 21.8 passes per game, low in comparison to Chelsea’s main distributor Michael Essien, on 68.9, though Drogba prefers to battle opposition centre-halves and provide a long-ball outlet, rather than looking to come deep and become involved in intricate build-up play. He still made 2 key passes per game, second to Rooney’s 2.1 here, with Malouda, on 3.1, and Lampard (2.2) the only Chelsea players to create more chances per game.