Player Focus: Europe's Biggest Threats on the Counter Attack

The theory that it's the weaker sides that are forced to play on the counter due to a lack of possession is one that has been quashed in recent years, with a number of Europe's top sides using the opportunity to break with devastating effect nowadays.

The increasing dominance of the 4-2-3-1 tactic certainly plays a significant part, with sides such as Champions League finalists Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund both exponents of the current formation in favour. Only four sides have scored more goals via counter attacks than the German duo (9), while Real Madrid (10) - along with Real Sociedad - and Arsenal (7) top their respective leagues for the same statistic, whilst also using the same system.

It's fair to say then that being able to play on the break is increasingly important nowadays, with the game at Camp Nou between possession dominant Barcelona and the brilliant Bayern a case in point.

In this piece, we look at the players who have the biggest impact on their side's counter attacking threat, looking at the percentage of a team’s attempts on the fast break made by a single player. We also look into the players who are most clinical on the counter to decipher Europe's best players on the break.

Goals from counter attacks

Only nine players have scored more than three goals from attempts on the counter attack this season, with some familiar names among them. Cristiano Ronaldo is one of seven to have struck 4 goals following a fast break, accounting for 40% of Real Madrid's total (10) via that route. The Portuguese forward has had 20 attempts on the counter attack in La Liga, meaning his conversion rate from said efforts is 20%.

That, however, is the lowest of the aforementioned 9 players, while the likes of Bundesliga youngsters Andre Schurrle and Heung-Min Son, who also have 4 goals on the break, have converted 50% of their chances, each accounting for 66.7% of their respective sides' strikes on the counter.

Elsewhere the likes of Edin Dzeko and German Denis, who both would be more synonymous with the target man tag, have contributed even higher to their teams' tallies on the break. The Bosnian has four of City's five (80%), while Denis is responsible for all four of Serie A outfit Atalanta's goals from the same source (100%).

An equally alarming stat saw Obafemi Martins score with all four of his attempts on the fast break before leaving Levante for MLS, whilst in Madrid, Atletico's sought-after star Falcao has scored with 5 of 10 efforts on the counter (50%). The man who leads the way across Europe's top 5 leagues here, however, is an old master.

Udinese's Antonio Di Natale has scored six of his 22 goals this season courtesy of efforts on the counter attack having had more shots on the break than any other player in Europe (22). In turn he has a modest 27.3% conversion rate from those attempts, and accounts for 60% of his side's tally here. The Italian, therefore understandably makes his way into the top 10 players in terms of the percentage of a team's total fast break attempts (45.8%), though there are players who've been even more important to their side's threat on the counter.

Highest proportion of teams' total counter attack attempts

The fact that Genoa forward Ciro Immobile ranks third here somewhat smacks of irony given his less than fortuitous family name. The former Juventus youngster has played a bit part in the Rossoblu’s successful fight against relegation of late but when he has played he’s offered a threat on the occasions that his side have countered.

The 23 year old has had 11 of Genoa’s 21 shots on the break this season (52.4%), with no other teammate registering more than 2. It should come as no surprise then that the forward netted the team’s only counter attacking goal this season – a league low of 1 along with Fiorentina – though a 9.1% conversion from his eleven efforts is pretty meagre.

Ranking second here is Swansea’s Michu, who has provided the Welsh outfit’s biggest goal threat by a country mile. Having held so much possession this season, and indeed the fifth most in the Premier League on average (55.1%), Michael Laudrup’s side don’t tend to play on the counter attack, but when they do it is Michu who invariably ends up on the end of their forays forward.

The summer signing is one of only five Swansea players to have an attempt on the break this season, having mustered 7 of their 13 efforts (53.8%). He too has only scored one of his shots on the counter attack this season, though his 14.3% conversion rate in turn is in advance of Immobile.

Our clear leader here, however, is Saint Etienne forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, whose 19 league goals have ensured Les Verts are still in with a chance of qualifying for Europe. The Gabonese international has played both through the middle and wide this season, with his pace and finishing causing havoc for opposition defences when Christophe Galtier’s side does break.

The former AC Milan youth player has had 17 shots on the counter attack this season, which is almost twice as many as any other player in Ligue 1. His efforts account for 60.7% of Saint Etienne’s 28 shots on the break in total, and it is no shock that European hopefuls lead the league for goals on the counter (6). Aubameyang has netted three of those (50%), and while his conversion rate from efforts on the break (17.6%) could do with improvement, it’s clear why the 23 year old is on the radar of a number of Europe’s top teams.