[Albion] Maupay stats vs other PL strikers this season

[Hamilton]

Maupay this, Maupay that.

Plenty of PL teams are doing or would do just fine with a striker with his numbers. But how on earth could that be, when Brighton are in a relegation battle?

Because their midfielders and wide players (whether wingers or wing backs) got a decent goal production. I know, I know "midfielders should chip in but ultimately...", I've heard it. But plenty of the midfielders in the top and mid table teams are "chipping in" with 15-25 goals, which results in a shit load of points compared to the 10 (and I'm including Trossard, 4 goals, who is not rarely playing up front) scored by Brighton midfielders.

As plenty have said, the goal production from strikers leaves much to be desired, but it really is a team issue. Great, find a better striker, scoring closer to xG, than Maupay and maybe you have another five goals next season. Should result in a handful more points. But if the midfield scores somewhere closer to lets say Leeds, you have about 15 more goals, most likely resulting in a number of points you would probably require an entire bag to carry!

The whole "just get a better striker and we would be in the top 6" thing is a lie, aside for one or two freak instances over the years you dont come anywhere near the top 6 with this kind of midfield production.

Luckily, there is a good possibility of improvement in both areas. Maupay is one of the youngest starting strikers in the PL (and Connolly / Zeqiri are both very young) and from midfield Moder looks like he could be a Soucek kind of guy and while Mac Allister so far has been quite point shy he is still very young and I think he could turn into someone who frequently scores in the PL in the not too distant future. For Alzate, the jury is out and next season will be important for him, same (but different) for Trossard who got some good stuff in him but needs to provide more consistently.

Add one or two new players - one striker and one midfielder/winger - and the return of the infinitely (compared to BDB & Veltman) more threatening March / Lamptey and this squad wide issue could very well solve itself naturally without too many pounds spent.

By jove, I think he is starting to listen.

So everything isn't rosey in the garden after all.

As I've said on a previous post, our midfield shot accuracy is down in the 15% territory as opposed to 30% for other teams. Just one player has stats in this region and it is Gros.

Of course, this does not excuse the opportunities missed by our striker, but there will be increased pressure on him and the overall pressure mounts to score goals.

 

[Stat Brother]

Still as depressing to watch as the first time though again, some of the build up play and nearly assists are wonderful.

I really don't want to hang out an individual player, but I have lost patience with Maupay this season. I appreciate what he does overall for the team but for a Premier League striker, his finishing really is the pits. Some of those misses are just dreadful. I'd forgotten about his Palace miss when he cut inside, that was ridiculous. I don't think it is just a confidence thing either because he does this throughout the season, even after he's scored goals and you'd think his confidence would be up. I don't think he's got the required technique or intelligence at the moment. I never have faith that he will make the right decision.

I've read all of the posts backing him up for what he contributes to the team and can see he works hard but personally, I think he's let us down too many times this season and just isn't good enough at the moment. I admire Potter's persistent faith in him but I would like us to try something else with what we have this season and then in the summer, look to hopefully bring in another, better, striker if we can (I also understand that is not easy or cheap). And yes, we do also need more goals from other players but the fact is, Maupay is the individual player who misses the vast majority of our chances.

Whilst saying all of that, I don't want to sell him. I would still like him as part of the squad as he does contribute and is still young enough to be able to improve his technique and hopefully make better decisions in time.

As said over on 'blind spot' - the something else is part of the problem.

1 x Injury prone older striker who's proficient days are a long way behind him. (textbook)
1 x Peacock with more haircuts than goals.
1 x Cheap Swiss second division lad who looks keen - we can all look keen. (textbook)
1 x Lion, a player we knew more about when he wasn't allowed in the country. (a new spin but still textbook)

All the while Liverpool are combing the country for centre backs and repeatedly having doors slammed in their face with the words 'sorry I'm under contract to Brighton' ringing in their ears.


I don't envy Mr Potter trying to get a confidence inducing amount of goals from that lot.
I don't envy him trying to find a different solution to the problem.
I do think by now something should have at least seen to be done to try alter the stark reality of:-

This squad can't score more goals than it gives away.

 

[Swansman]

By jove, I think he is starting to listen.

So everything isn't rosey in the garden after all.

As I've said on a previous post, our midfield shot accuracy is down in the 15% territory as opposed to 30% for other teams. Just one player has stats in this region and it is Gros.

Of course, this does not excuse the opportunities missed by our striker, but there will be increased pressure on him and the overall pressure mounts to score goals.

I've never said it was, I just dont have some pathological urge to percieve any and everything in the worst possible way I can.

 

[Live by the sea]

Maupay is close to being very good , he has the pace , movement and strength - just needs to remain calm and not snatch at chances .

 

[Audax]

I agree whole-heartedly with this. Maupay's contribution is not best measured in goals alone and his value to the team is broader than that for me. On Saturday, I did find myself wondering what he would be like playing with a "goal-hanger" - Like you GB I can't think who would that would be, but in their absence, coaxing more goals from across the squad looks a more likely focus in the short term.

Maupay this, Maupay that.

Plenty of PL teams are doing or would do just fine with a striker with his numbers. But how on earth could that be, when Brighton are in a relegation battle?

Because their midfielders and wide players (whether wingers or wing backs) got a decent goal production. I know, I know "midfielders should chip in but ultimately...", I've heard it. But plenty of the midfielders in the top and mid table teams are "chipping in" with 15-25 goals, which results in a shit load of points compared to the 10 (and I'm including Trossard, 4 goals, who is not rarely playing up front) scored by Brighton midfielders.

As plenty have said, the goal production from strikers leaves much to be desired, but it really is a team issue. Great, find a better striker, scoring closer to xG, than Maupay and maybe you have another five goals next season. Should result in a handful more points. But if the midfield scores somewhere closer to lets say Leeds, you have about 15 more goals, most likely resulting in a number of points you would probably require an entire bag to carry!

The whole "just get a better striker and we would be in the top 6" thing is a lie, aside for one or two freak instances over the years you dont come anywhere near the top 6 with this kind of midfield production.

Luckily, there is a good possibility of improvement in both areas. Maupay is one of the youngest starting strikers in the PL (and Connolly / Zeqiri are both very young) and from midfield Moder looks like he could be a Soucek kind of guy and while Mac Allister so far has been quite point shy he is still very young and I think he could turn into someone who frequently scores in the PL in the not too distant future. For Alzate, the jury is out and next season will be important for him, same (but different) for Trossard who got some good stuff in him but needs to provide more consistently.

Add one or two new players - one striker and one midfielder/winger - and the return of the infinitely (compared to BDB & Veltman) more threatening March / Lamptey and this squad wide issue could very well solve itself naturally without too many pounds spent.

Absolutely agree with all of this. But it doesn't negate the fact that as things stand, Maupay isn't doing the job as primary striker. That can then have an effect on the midfield - if the primary striker is spurning chances, the midfield then feels more pressure to to get the job done themselves. They then take shots they otherwise wouldn't / shouldn't, don't find the net, and their own confidence shooting drops as well.

While the problem we have scoring is across both frontline and midfield, we may find that a single signing who can make the primary striker role theirs could still solve everything by taking some of the pressure away from midfield and letting them express themselves a bit more.

 

[Hugo Rune]

But, apart from possibly Dunk, I don't think we have one player who you can say has finished as well as they should have done.

Dunk is guilty I’m afraid but not a bad as Webster who has struck the bar at least 3 times instead of scoring this season.

Dunk has two massive misses on his shoulders this season. His header ‘when it was easier to score’ could well have changed the outcome of our first fixture vs Chelsea. He then had that header against Fulham at the Amex for a 1-0 lead that would have given us two extra points. Again, a massive massive chance missed that clearly cost us points.

That said, him and Webster have done ok on the goals front this season and it’s not really their prime role to be scoring.

 

[blue-shifted]

Maupay is close to being very good , he has the pace , movement and strength - just needs to remain calm and not snatch at chances .

He has average or just above average of the above.

Pace-wise, you wouldn't say he has searing pace. I don't remember seeing him burn past someone like Werner, Rashford or Vardy might

 

[blue-shifted]

Dunk is guilty I’m afraid but not a bad as Webster who has struck the bar at least 3 times instead of scoring this season.

Dunk has two massive misses on his shoulders this season. His header ‘when it was easier to score’ could well have changed the outcome our first fixture vs Chelsea. He then had that header against Fulham at the Amex for a 1-0 lead that would have given us two extra points. Again, massive massive chance missed that clearly cost us points.

That said, him and Webster have done ok on the goals front this season and it’s not really their prime role to be scoring.

Dunky has had a couple of bad misses, but he's scored a couple you wouldn't expect him to either. Southampton away was a brilliant finish. Dunky is around par in the goalscoring stakes.

Everybody else in the squad is below par

 

[Hugo Rune]

There's a lot (sadly) to unpack here

[tweet]1386271199630594050[/tweet]

Wow. 4mins+ of missed chances. I do wonder how long the video of missed chances against us would be? About 20 seconds is my guess.

 

[Sid in the Sharknado]

Maupay is close to being very good , he has the pace , movement and strength - just needs to remain calm and not snatch at chances .

If we were to sell him on or otherwise get rid of him (I'm not suggesting we should) it wouldn't surprise me if he were to suddenly pull 15+ goals out of his arse purely to spite me.

I think he'd be much better in a supporting role rather than as a main striker, but also sometimes a person will flourish at a different situation in a different atmosphere or system, and there's no obvious rhyme or reason to it.

 

[wellquickwoody]

Maupay this, Maupay that.

Plenty of PL teams are doing or would do just fine with a striker with his numbers. But how on earth could that be, when Brighton are in a relegation battle?

Because their midfielders and wide players (whether wingers or wing backs) got a decent goal production. I know, I know "midfielders should chip in but ultimately...", I've heard it. But plenty of the midfielders in the top and mid table teams are "chipping in" with 15-25 goals, which results in a shit load of points compared to the 10 (and I'm including Trossard, 4 goals, who is not rarely playing up front) scored by Brighton midfielders.

As plenty have said, the goal production from strikers leaves much to be desired, but it really is a team issue. Great, find a better striker, scoring closer to xG, than Maupay and maybe you have another five goals next season. Should result in a handful more points. But if the midfield scores somewhere closer to lets say Leeds, you have about 15 more goals, most likely resulting in a number of points you would probably require an entire bag to carry!

The whole "just get a better striker and we would be in the top 6" thing is a lie, aside for one or two freak instances over the years you dont come anywhere near the top 6 with this kind of midfield production.

Luckily, there is a good possibility of improvement in both areas. Maupay is one of the youngest starting strikers in the PL (and Connolly / Zeqiri are both very young) and from midfield Moder looks like he could be a Soucek kind of guy and while Mac Allister so far has been quite point shy he is still very young and I think he could turn into someone who frequently scores in the PL in the not too distant future. For Alzate, the jury is out and next season will be important for him, same (but different) for Trossard who got some good stuff in him but needs to provide more consistently.

Add one or two new players - one striker and one midfielder/winger - and the return of the infinitely (compared to BDB & Veltman) more threatening March / Lamptey and this squad wide issue could very well solve itself naturally without too many pounds spent.

You, and others, can keep pontificating. I have been saying that we have not had a decent striker under 30 for a long time. Ulloa was the last, he was here before you arrived.

 

[Hugo Rune]

Dunky has had a couple of bad misses, but he's scored a couple you wouldn't expect him to either. Southampton away was a brilliant finish. Dunky is around par in the goalscoring stakes.

Everybody else in the squad is below par

That’s fair I suppose. And he’d be above par with a decent ref/VAR at West Brom and we’d be a point up.

 

[CheeseRolls]

Maupay is close to being very good , he has the pace , movement and strength - just needs to remain calm and not snatch at chances .

2 assists in 32 games and he just needs to remain calm and not snatch at chances? I think there may be a few other things to work on.

 

[blue-shifted]

Wow. 4mins+ of missed chances. I do wonder how long the video of missed chances against us would be? About 20 seconds is my guess.

Certainly it will be shorter than the deflections, / ridiculous penalties we've conceded video

 

[Stat Brother]

If we were to sell him on or otherwise get rid of him (I'm not suggesting we should) it wouldn't surprise me if he were to suddenly pull 15+ goals out of his arse purely to spite me.

I think he'd be much better in a supporting role rather than as a main striker, but also sometimes a person will flourish at a different situation in a different atmosphere or system, and there's no obvious rhyme or reason to it.

There are many who is this season's goal scoring woes as an aberration, I hope they're right, I'm not so sure.

 

[blue-shifted]

That’s fair I suppose. And he’d be above par with a decent ref/VAR at West Brom and we’d be a point up.

Just a basic level of competence would have been fine

 

[Farehamseagull]

As said over on 'blind spot' - the something else is part of the problem.

1 x Injury prone older striker who's proficient days are a long way behind him. (textbook)
1 x Peacock with more haircuts than goals.
1 x Cheap Swiss second division lad who looks keen - we can all look keen. (textbook)
1 x Lion, a player we knew more about when he wasn't allowed in the country. (a new spin but still textbook)

All the while Liverpool are combing the country for centre backs and repeatedly having doors slammed in their face with the words 'sorry I'm under contract to Brighton' ringing in their ears.


I don't envy Mr Potter trying to get a confidence inducing amount of goals from that lot.
I don't envy him trying to find a different solution to the problem.
I do think by now something should have at least seen to be done to try alter the stark reality of:-

This squad can't score more goals than it gives away.

Oh I quite agree, his choices are very limited at the moment. Hopefully we might be able to do something about that in the summer. And yes we should be getting more goals from midfield. But this thread is about Maupay and is it not worth just trying something different at the moment because we're not getting the goals from Maupay despite the countless simple chances he's presented with?

I know I will get jumped on by those who think that criticising any individual player is out of order, but whether it is a confidence thing with Maupay like some suggest, or like I think, technique and decision making, surely he is due a spell out of the side to see what other combinations can do with a decent run in the side? 1 goal in his last 14 games, and that goal coming when the game was already won, is really not filling me with any hope that he is going to be our goal scoring solution for the rest of this season.

 

[Sid in the Sharknado]

There are many who is this season's goal scoring woes as an aberration, I hope they're right, I'm not so sure.

That's not what I meant (and that's my fault for not making myself clear).

I think he has qualities which could allow him to score more than he does, if he develops in the right way and if he is played in the right way. He's also lacking in numerous respects, some of which can and should improve (composure, decision making etc.), some of which won't (he's not going to suddenly turn into a Jamie Vardy type player).

Realistically I don't see him ever scoring more than the 10 or so he's managed for the last couple of seasons in this league, and the solution to our problems is to get more goals from elsewhere. I can easily imagine him managing a few more than that though, and it would be sods law if he were to do it immediately after he turned up somewhere else.

 

[Stat Brother]

The club have a 'type'.

I'd prefer the type to be buxom brunettes with blue eyes, but that's a conversation for another time.


With the club's type in mind Mohammed Bayo is the answer to all our 'problems':-

 

[Milano]

You, and others, can keep pontificating. I have been saying that we have not had a decent striker under 30 for a long time. Ulloa was the last, he was here before you arrived.

If you put the 2014 Ulloa into our team this season then I’m VERY confident he’d have a lot more goals than Maupay has and we’d be about 12th.

That for me makes me realise we need an upgrade on Maupay. Maupay just doesn’t look remotely threatening, Welbeck on the other hand does when the chances come.