Ranking Juventus' Attacking Options on Their Goalscoring Threat

Many of the problems facing Juventus in 2015/16 have been defensive issues, the usually robust Bianconeri keeping just six clean sheets in their opening 16 games of the campaign. Yet they have also struggled in attack, regularly failing to take advantage of the superiority they have often enjoyed.

Indeed, as discussed here, the Turin giants have actually improved at creating goal scoring chances, with statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com highlighting the fact they lead the league with an average of 17.8 shots per game.

But they have netted just 16 times this season, a tally bettered by no fewer than five teams and one which has led to questions being asked about the attacking make-up of the side. That is certainly something to consider, though there is little doubt that Paulo Dybala has quickly established himself as Juve’s most dangerous forward.

Ng Han Guan/Associated Press

“Paulo’s come on leaps and bounds, both from a technical and physical perspective,” coach Massimiliano Allegri said at a recent press conference. “He applies himself, wants to learn and after struggling at the start, he’s improved a great deal.”

Dybala leads the team with six goals in all competitions, despite his three shots per game ranking only second-highest in the squad. According to WhoScored, Paul Pogba (3.5) takes top spot, followed by Simone Zaza (2.2), while both Mario Mandzukic and Alvaro Morata muster 1.7 attempts each.

The Argentinian’s most recent goal came during a substitute appearance, and he insists he has no problem seeing others named to the first XI. “There are many players who are doing well, so I was not remotely upset at starting from the bench,” Dybala told Sky Italia (h/t Football Italia) after the victory over Empoli.

But there is further proof that should be a rare occurrence if the number of shots is reduced to only those on target, with the same source showing that Pogba again ranks highest with 1.2 per game, with Dybala’s 1.0 seeing him in second place.

Morata’s 0.6 attempts see him rank third, with Zaza (0.5) narrowly ahead of Mandzukic (0.4). The poor form of the latter was discussed in detail here, and it is little surprise to see he is the most inaccurate striker.

Squawka.com

As the above graphic—courtesy of Squawka.com—shows, he has hit the target with just 33 percent of his attempts, Morata’s 55 percent leading the way. The Spaniard’s progress has been slowed by his defensive assignment on the flank, but if he made the effort to get into the box more regularly, he could certainly have more impact.

As the table below indicates, he trails all attacking players in terms of shots inside the penalty area, while it also serves to highlight the overall superior attacking prowess of Dybala as well as the subpar performances of Mandzukic and Zaza

Statistics courtesy of the WhoScored and Squawka websites

Morata’s only league goal of the season came in the club’s comfortable win over Bologna, and he admitted in an interview with El Larguero (h/t Gazzetta World) that he has “struggled with injuries” and “not been playing in my ideal role.”

Allegri needs to find a way of allowing the 23-year-old to do that, without blunting the impact of Dybala. They could be a potent attacking combination for some time too as Morata also told Spanish outlet Cadena Ser (h/t Football Italia) that he is discussing a contract renewal with Juventus, and everything is going smoothly.”

That bodes well for the future, as the evidence discussed shows that Morata clearly ranks behind only Dybala as Juve’s most lethal scoring threat, with Mandzukic third and the disappointing Zaza fourth.