The 2024/25 starts in the same vein, making for a few amazing blank efforts one on one in front of goal. By the Expected Goals (xG) metric, five players have particularly egregiously squandered a lot of high-quality chances. This player-centric metric provides an indication of how probable a goal is from different situations. This report highlights Marcus Tavernier, Nicolas Jackson, Cole Palmer, Kevin De Bruyne, and Richarlison as the players with the highest xG but the least successful conversions this season.
Marcus Tavernier, when he was with Bournemouth, is the most prolific encourager on this list. He’s great at getting into position and creating opportunities. He’s passed up multiple wide-open chances, to the chagrin of both fans and teammates. His under-performance on xG indicates that he should have scored more goals than he did. This trend should be alarming for the wingers.
Just behind him is his Chelsea compatriot Nicolas Jackson, who has been an exciting and impactful new signing for Chelsea. For all the praise he’s received, his failure to finish high-leverage opportunities has limited his effectiveness in games. Jackson’s xG indicates he had 5.34 expected goals worth of scoring chances – that’s a lot of missed scoring chances! Yet, in those key situations, his finishing let him down.
Cole Palmer, of Chelsea, has dealt with this issue this season. Despite showing flashes of brilliance in his performances, Palmer’s misses have raised eyebrows. Scott’s xG numbers suggest that supporters expected him to find the net more often. This leads to further concerns about his touch and composure when going towards goal.
Surprisingly, creativity and playmaking genius Kevin De Bruyne has made this list of doom. The Manchester City midfielder has had a lot of near-misses go down as misses rather than goals. His xG illustrates both how skilled he is and how much he creates for his teammates. His lost opportunities speak to a different one.
Topping off the wonderful debut five is Tottenham’s Richarlison. Although he has shown flashes of his talent in clutch moments this season, a lack of finishing has haunted him all year and lost him key goals. His xG indicates he ought to have scored more goals. This would have made an enormous difference to Tottenham’s eventual league placing.
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