Stats Analysis: Fewest Touches per Minute

The life of a forward can be wildly contrasting.  Grabbing the goals and the glory will always hog the headlines, but it is all too often offset by large chunks of time waiting for a chance of involvement. WhoScored highlights the top five Premier League frontmen in terms of the least touches per minute so far this season to have started more than 10 games, analysing just how productive each of them have managed to be when the ball finally comes their way:

1. Danny Graham, Swansea City. 0.31 Touches per Minute

While Swansea have been lauded for their passing game this season, only 22% of their possession is in the opponents’ final third – the lowest of any Premier League side. Brendan Rodgers’ team tend to keep hold of the ball in the middle third, with 46% possession in this zone greater than any side in England’s top-flight. As a result, Graham – playing as the lone forward, tends to be starved of much possession.

The former Watford man has 24.3 touches per game and tends not to hold on to the ball, finding a teammate with an average 16 passes. Graham doesn’t provide much creativity when in possession, with an average of just 0.6 key passes. He rarely makes a successful dribble – only 0.3 per game and wins just 0.6 aerial duels on average. Graham is caught offside just 0.8 times per game, with Swansea’s possession game giving him enough time to perfect his runs.

In terms of attacking threat, Graham is third for shots per game for the Welsh club; an average of 1.8 is bettered by Gylfi Sigurdsson (3.8) and Scott Sinclair’s 2.5. Over 29 appearances, a total of 55 shots have produced 10 goals, an average of one goal per 5.5 attempts. Further analysis of his shooting stats shows that, with 753 touches and 55 shots, Graham has a shot with every 13.7 touches and, from 10 goals, finds the net with every 75.3 touches of the ball. With Swansea’s backline and midfield the standout performers, Graham is eleventh in the rankings for Rodgers’ side, with a WhoScored rating of 6.59.

2. Darren Bent, Aston Villa. 0.31 Touches per Minute

A look at the Premier League passing stats shows that, with an average of 44% possession, Aston Villa have the fourth lowest rate in the Premier League. Playing many times as a lone striker or alongside Gabby Agbonlahor in a 4-4-2, Bent fails to see much of the ball, with just 26.3 touches per game from his 22 appearances.

The lowly possession rate means Alex McLeish’s side tend to look for their pacy frontmen on the break and Bent, playing on the shoulder of the defenders, has been caught offside 1.8 times per game – double that of Danny Graham. Similar to Graham, though, Bent releases the ball relatively quickly; an average of 18.5 passes, with a mere 0.2 successful dribbles per game. Bent has proven to be Villa’s main aerial threat up front; with 1.8 successful aerial duels bettering Agbonlahor’s 1.2.

He also offers the main goal threat for McLeish’s outfit; an average of 2 shots just edges Agbonlahor and Charles N’Zogbia, both with 1.8. A total of 44 shots have harvested 9 goals, meaning Bent finds the net with every 4.8 attempts. A further look at his total touches this season (579) highlights that Bent has a shot with every 13.1 touches and scored a goal with every 64.3 touches of the ball. A WhoScored rating of 6.74 is fourth best for Villa, with a man of the match award also thrown in.

3. Yakubu, Blackburn Rovers. 0.35 Touches per Minute

Similar to Swansea, Blackburn have a low possession rate in their opponents’ final third; 27% is only better than three sides in England’s top-flight. Added to the fact that they are also second lowest for possession, with 42.3%, and it’s clear to see why Yakubu, as the lone frontman for Steve Kean’s strugglers, averages just 29 touches.

The Nigerian makes 18.3 passes per game, with 1 key pass per game producing a couple of assists so far. When on the ball, Yakubu makes a minimal number of successful dribbles (0.4) and, with his game not based around pace, he has been caught offside just 0.6 times per game. The former Everton man has been poor in the air for Rovers, though, winning just 0.4 aerial duels per game.

Yakubu’s attacking threat has been crucial to Kean’s side this season; he’s averaged 2.5 shots per game (David Hoilett is second with 2) and netted 16 of Blackburn’s 45 goals. From 25 appearances, then, a total of 62 attempts mean he has found the net with every 3.9 shots – a superb demonstration of clinical finishing. Following on, Yakubu’s total of 726 touches has produced one shot every 11.7 touches and a goal per 45.4 touches of the ball. A WhoScored rating of 6.82 is second of Kean’s regulars, with Yakubu’s goalscoring exploits earning him 5 man of the match awards, more than any Ewood Park player.

4. Javier Hernandez, Manchester United. 0.39 Touches per Minute.

Although the Mexican is fielded alongside Wayne Rooney in a 4-4-2, the latter’s tendency to drop deep and link up with his midfield can often leave Hernandez isolated. As a result, he manages just 20.6 touches per game over a total of 26 appearances for the league leaders.

With speed one of Hernandez’s main assets, he is always looking to beat the opposition offside trap and, similar to Bent, is caught out plenty of times – 1.6 offsides per game. Given how little he sees the ball, Hernandez makes only 14.6 passes per game; compare this with strike partner Rooney’s 51.8 and it’s clear to see just how seldom he is involved. The Mexican has picked up a couple of assists this season, providing an average of 0.7 key passes, though he fails to impress when it comes to aerial duels (0.2 successful per game) and successful dribbles – bizarrely, he has registered just one over the entire campaign so far.

In terms of goal threat, Hernandez is only seventh for United, with an average of 1.7 attempts per game (Rooney is top with 4.6) but when it comes to finishing, he is second for the Old Trafford side, with 10 goals to his name so far. This means he has found the net with every 4.3 shots though, unlike Yakubu and Bent, he doesn’t have penalty duties to aid his tally. From a total of 536 touches, then, Hernandez has averaged one shot every 12.5 touches and has found the net with every 53.6 touches of the ball. A WhoScored rating of 6.75 is 23rd in the rankings for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, with just five fixtures of the season remaining.

5. Leon Best, Newcastle United. 0.4 Touches per Minute.

In spite of the fact they sit fifth place in the Premier League, Newcastle are not a side that dominate games. The Magpies average just 46.8% possession and have the fourth-lowest rate in the opposition third, with just 27%. With his side tending to hold onto the ball in the middle third, Best has an average of 25.9 touches over his 18 appearances for Alan Pardew’s side.

The Irishman has made 17.2 passes per game and, from an average of 1.1 key passes, has provided a couple of assists. Although he’s since lost his first-team place to Papiss Cisse, Best’s role as the furthest forward of a front two alongside Demba Ba means he’s caught offside 1.3 time per game – the most for the Tyneside team – though he is also top for aerial duels won, with an impressive 2.8 per game.

In terms of goal threat, Best’s stats are relatively low amongst Pardew’s forwards. An average of 1.3 shots per game is far inferior to Ba (3) and Cisse (2.8) and, from a total of 23 shots, he has notched 4 times – an average of one goal for every 5.7 efforts. Best has made an overall 467 touches, meaning he averages one shot for every 20.3 touches and scores with every 116.7 touches – a poor tally when compared with the other four in our analysis. Best has averaged 6.69 in the WhoScored rankings this season and, with a man of the match award also thrown in, is ninth overall for Pardew’s side in the ratings.