Comparing Robert Lewandowski's 2014/15 Stats to His 2015/16 Numbers

When Bayern Munich signed Robert Lewandowski on a free transfer in the summer of 2014, it looked to be the deal of the summer. Quality strikers have become a rarity in the modern game, and any transfer of anyone near the Poland international's class has cost the buying club at least €50 million.

Throughout his second season at the Allianz Arena, and even in the business end of the campaign, he's proven to be an incredible value. His 36 goals in all competitions for Bayern are a career high for a club, and incredibly, he's achieved this level with two months left in the campaign and scoring just once from the penalty spot. And his record of 44 strikes for club and country in 2016 exceeds even Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez's tallies. He truly is a phenomenon of the modern game.

What's different about Lewandowski this season? A deep dive into the numbers can be very revealing.

For any striker, the first statistic worth analyzing is goal return. In 2014/15, Lewandowski scored 25 goals in 49 games, a rate slightly above a goal every two games. This season, his 36 strikes in 39 appearances is much better, nearly a 1:1 ratio.

Yet raw goals only tells part of the story. Lewandowski put five past Wolfsburg earlier in the campaign, but as great as that particular display was, some have discounted it as hammering the misery on a beaten team. Surely, key goals that decide results are of more value than the eighth in an 8-0 rout. And surely, goals against better teams are more significant than those scored against minnows.

Well, compared to last season, Lewandowski is in almost every way more influential. In 2015/16, his strike rates in the Bundesliga and Champions League are quite comparable: 25 goals in 26 games in the German league, and eight in as many appearances on the European level. The latter statistic includes a key goal against Juventus in the round of 16 that sparked Bayern's comeback. Last season, Lewandowski only scored six in 12 games in the Champions League.

At first glance, Lewandowski's proportion of "important" goals may seem similar this season when compared to the previous. Thus far, 15 (42 percent) of his 36 strikes have come from non-leading positions. Last year, that statistic was 11 (44 percent) of his 25.

Widening the range of consideration for "important" goals reveals a very distinct difference. It may be somewhat easier for Bayern to score when already ahead, but if the margin is just one goal, the result is still in the balance: One goal from the opposition, and they're back in contention for points. Last season, Lewandowski scored just three goals when Bayern were exactly one goal ahead. That means that 44 percent of his goals were scored when Bayern were already two or more goals ahead, which for a club like Bayern, essentially amounts to garbage time.

This season, a whopping 12 of Lewandowski's strikes have come with Bayern one goal ahead. Thus, he's only scored nine "gratuitous" goals, 25 percent of his total tally this season.

Leaving the realm of goals, there's the consideration of Lewandowski's shooting accuracy and conversion rate. In last season's Bundesliga, per Squawka, the striker put 42 of his 79 shots on target, at a rate of 53 percent. This season, he's already put 64 of 104 shots on goal, or 62 percent. This also means that he's shooting more often: His rate is slightly over four attempts per game this season, compared to 2.5 a year ago.

Lewandowski indeed has had his scoring boots on this season, but his shot rate suggests a changing role. And indeed, the player who once started behind a main striker during his time at Dortmund has played less of a provider role this season than he did at Bayern last season.

Squawka statistics show that although his pass accuracy is up to 80 percent from last season's 65, he's created just 17 chances in the Bundesliga, a rate of 0.68 per game. Last season, his 32 in 31 appearances amounted to 1.03 per game. In terms of assists, his current tally stands at six compared to last season's 13 in all competitions.

Lewandowski's goals-to-assists ratio has dropped, as has Thomas Muller's. This reality can likely be attributed to the roles of both players changing as their support out wide has become more assist-heavy. Douglas Costa and Kingsley Coman have scored much less often than Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery in previous years, the current wide men much more often seeking out Muller and Lewandowski in the center.

Muller and Lewandowski in particular have adapted well to their roles, and the both are having career seasons. The latter is the most prolific European striker in today's game and perhaps the best in the world. A shrewd buy indeed.

@Mr_Bundesliga