Higuain Leads the Way of Europe's Deadliest Finishers

It is fair to say that all of Europe's top 5 divisions are in full flow now, with most forming some sort of semblance to years gone by in terms of the clubs leading the way, with a few surprises thrown in. The majority of the top teams from each division have been aided by the goalscoring exploits of at least one of their stars, and WhoScored has taken the chance to analyse the sharp shooters across Europe thus far.

Rather than merely looking at the goals scored by the men leading the way in each division, we investigate the chance conversion rates, as well as average amount of time on the pitch per goal, to ascertain who are the deadliest strikers in Europe right now.

In analysing the 3 top scorers from each league we see that only Italy's Serie A league leaders Juventus are not represented in terms of the sides that head their respective tables. In fact, such is the tightness of the division that no player from any side in the top 8 makes the divisions top 3 with 6 games played, though the Italian's have played at least one game less than any other league.

Premier League leaders Man City have 2 players in England's top 3 goalscorers, Aguero and Dzeko, while neighbours United boast the exploits of Wayne Rooney. The story is similar in Spain, with Barcelona's Messi joined by Madrid duo Higuain and Ronaldo. Each of the top 3 sides in Ligue 1 are represented in France's leaderboard, while Mario Gomez's goals have helped Bayern Munich to their fantastic start in the Bundesliga.

Heroic Higuain

It is fair to say that Real Madrid had a disappointing start to their La Liga campaign, losing and drawing in their first 4 matches, but the return to the side of Gonzalo Higuain has certainly steadied the ship. Just 3 starts and 4 substitute appearances may have frustrated the Argentine, but Higuain's recent form should ensure that he is back in Mourinho's starting plans having scored back-to-back hat-tricks in the league.

His tally of 8 goals have come from just 20 shots at goal, meaning he has scored with every 2.5 shots he attempts on average - making him the most clinical finisher in Europe right now. In comparison to teammate Cristiano Ronaldo - La Liga's third top scorer with 7 - he completely overshadows the star man, who has a lesser goal tally despite taking 52 shots this season (7.43 per goal).

Having only played 309 minutes of league action, Higuain also scores on a more regular basis than any other forward in the top 5 leagues right now, striking every 39 minutes he has played so far.

The Chasing Pack

In terms of those who are closely following the Argentina international, only Bayern Munich's Mario Gomez and Genoa's Rodrigo Palacio have taken 3 shots or less to score this season, racking up 10 and 5 goals from 30 and 15 shots respectively. City's new signing Sergio Aguero is not far behind, netting with every 3.13 shots he attempts and at a very impressive rate of a goal every 54.5 minutes - only bettered by Higuain.

Other then Gomez and Palacio, none of the other top leagues' leading scorers make the top 7 in terms of chance conversion rate. The majestic form of Lionel Messi has seen Barcelona's main man net 10 goals, though he has taken 38 shots to do so (3.8 shots per goal). Higuain's countryman is, however, third best when it comes to minutes per goal with 57, having been rested on occasion by Pep Guardiola.

Wayne Rooney's 9 goals for United have come in extremely handy to Alex Ferguson's cause but the England international has attempted the third highest number of shots to reach this tally (37), meaning his conversion rate is significantly lower (4.11 shots per goal). Ligue 1's leading marksman Kevin Gameiro fairs even worse with 4.13, despite being France's top-flight’s most clinical figure ahead of Bafetimbi Gomis (4.71) and Olivier Giroud (5.14).

Cristiano Ronaldo's tendency to attempt the spectacular has seen him fire off an incredible 52 shots so far - a full 14 more than second most Messi. His willingness to have a go from any range has been rewarded with 7 league goals in as many games but come at a price when it comes to conversion rate, taking a hefty 7.43 shots on average to register.

Heading at a Premium in Top 15

When looking at the situations from which each of the candidates' goals have been scored it is clear to see that the traditional target man may be dying out. Only 6 of the top scorers across the leagues have scored a single headed goal and only one, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, has netted more than the solitary goal with his head, with 3.

It is also abundantly clear that the list is dominated by right footed players, with only Lionel Messi and Olivier Giroud scoring the majority of their goals with their left foot - 7 of 10 and 6 of 7 respectively. Only 3 of the leaderboard have managed to score with each main body part when it comes to scoring (right, left and head), with Wayne Rooney one of those, along with Atalanta's German Denis and Lyon's Bafetimbi Gomis.

Rooney's aforementioned tally of 9 has included 3 set pieces, as has Gomez's 10-goal haul thus far. Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and in-form Gonzalo Higuain - all Argentinean internationals - are 3 of only 6 players to have scored all their goals from open play. All of Higuain's total (8) have come courtesy of his favoured right foot, and of the 109 goals scored between the 15 forwards, 69 have come from that leg, with 31 from the left and just 8 from the head (1 other). 

Premier League's Poachers the Fiercest on Average?

A look at each of the leagues' top 3 scorers’ averages when it comes to shots per goal and minutes per goal shows that England's Premier League hosts some of the most clinical finishers in the world. The average shots per goal from the combined figures of Rooney (9), Aguero (8) and Dzeko (6) see the trio strike every 3.58 shots attempted. This average is only bettered by Serie A's leading marksmen so far, with Giovinco (5), Palacio (5) and Denis’ (4) respective tallies coming at a rate of one every 3.42 shots on average.

The aforementioned Premier League trio are also just pipped in terms of league averages again when it comes to minutes per goal between them (62). La Liga leaders Messi (10), Higuain (8) and Ronaldo's (7) goals have come from far more shots - 4.58 per goal on average - but go in at a slightly faster rate, with 1 every 59 minutes between them.

France's Front Men Flailing

In terms of both shots per goal and minutes per goal averages for each league's top 3 scorers, France's top-flight comes last on both counts. The only league without a scorer netting a goal every 4 shots or less on average, Ligue 1's top strikers take 4.66 shots to register between them. Kevin Gameiro (8), Bafetimbi Gomis (7) and Olivier Giroud (7) also take the longest amount of time to score, netting every 111 minutes on average; only 4 minutes more than Serie A, but 20 more than the Bundesliga's leaders, and over 50 minutes more than both the Premier League and La Liga.