Prime Finishing
Cristiano Ronaldo has yet to reach his full potential since returning to Manchester United, at an age when strikers tend to begin losing steam and decline.
He’s still scoring, but his numbers across key categories have declined significantly. To remain an important member of Madrid, he must find optimal finishing form quickly.
Prime Finishing Goals per 90 minutes
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest goalscorers ever seen on a football pitch, joining Zlatan Ibrahimovic in scoring every minute since debuting in 2000. Italian web developer Lorenzo Furini published on Wednesday an eye-catching graphic showing Ronaldo’s goalscoring exploits since 2000 in one minute-by-minute form.
Ronaldo may not have reached his best form this season at Juventus, yet still scored 0.98 goals per 90 minutes despite taking less shots and seeing his average expected goal (xG) decrease year on year.Prime Finishing
One major source of Ronaldo’s troubles lies with his shots receiving lower quality ratings, according to analytics website Stratagem. Ronaldo has taken 7.2% of his shots this season that received quality ratings below three – this represents a marked decrease from his average of just over 4% from past seasons.
Ronaldo’s scoring rate has also dropped drastically this season in Europe’s premier club competition – the Champions League. He only scored seven times thus far this year compared to 14 in his opening group games of UEFA EURO 2020 against Luxembourg, Sweden, and Lithuania; which could signal either that his scoring touch has diminished over time or simply more defensive play is required of him than previously.
Prime Finishing Headers per 90 minutes
Heading the ball is an integral component of an attacker’s offensive arsenal, requiring three key skills for success: timing, jumping reach and coordination. Some of the top 5 league’s most proficient headers include Giroud, Pavoletti and Carrillo who possess all three. Each has an excellent combination of these traits that has led them to numerous header goals scored over their careers.
Opta’s recent data indicates that professional players are frequently heading the ball during league matches – something which should be “hugely concerning”. League Two league matches average an average of 58 headers per game on average and this figure likely to increase as players advance up the football pyramid. Recent studies suggest frequent headers increase risk of brain damage.Prime Finishing
Athleticians who take frequent headed shots typically possess lower Striking Efficiency (SE). SE is a metric which measures the ratio of non-penalty goals scored to total shots taken (excluding penalties). SE also takes into account movement and anticipation – essential elements of goal scoring potential in open play. Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid boasts one of the lowest SE’s globally and boasts an extremely efficient scoring rate when it comes to open play scoring potential with his 0.34 SE score; his high xG per Shot indicate his high scoring efficiency when scoring freely in open play.Prime Finishing
Prime Finishing Goals from open play
Attractive athletes don’t usually travel along a straight path to success. Cristiano Ronaldo’s journey may have been marked with immediate triumph; nonetheless, he continues to work toward finishing what he started.
He appears to be well on his way, producing good chances in open play for himself and creating an xG differential that measures good chances created versus conceded that has many similarities to last season’s league table – Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United all appear at roughly similar positions while Leeds makes a leap up the standings and Brighton declines from 16th place down into 11th.Prime Finishing
Ronaldo once depended on goals scored from contested headers to boost his scoring totals, but this season has seen him shift away from this strategy and make more use of long-distance skill shots with his feet – an unexpected switch for someone so well known for long distance playmaking.
As a result, he is currently averaging 0.67 expected goals per 90 minutes (excluding free kicks) this season, up from 0.39 in 2016-17 and closer to his debut season with Juventus of 0.68; moreover he has recorded more open play outside-box goals this year than any previous campaign in his career.Prime Finishing
Prime Finishing Goals from free kicks
Cristiano Ronaldo has long been known for his free kick goals, yet has recently experienced a decline in production. On average he averages approximately six per season now compared to when he peaked with Manchester United by scoring incredible, accurate free kick strikes that were almost impossible for goalkeepers to predict.
Cristiano achieves this knuckleball effect by hitting the ball with minimal spin, allowing its asymmetrical airflow around it to cause it to rise unpredictably toward goal. For an added dose of power he pushes off of his non-dominant foot while arching his back – both moves that put significant strain on his knee joint.
One of the key aspects of his technique is his four-step run-up. After taking two routine steps, on step three he takes a shorter stride and lands directly on his forefoot (ball of foot). From here he rocks forward while simultaneously pushing off both feet like he is going over a bar.Prime Finishing
Next comes a forward roll that adds some lift, yet still not much. Finally, he unleashed tremendous force to launch the ball over the wall and into the net with great force.
