2015-2016 January transfer window thread

The amount of chances Ozil makes we really need a striker that can convert more of them.

Olivier Giroud scores 0.87 goals per 90 minutes; the third most efficient goalscorer in the league after Vardy and Aguero.

That's a misleading stat. How does it look if you take out the meaningless goals he scored (eg the 5th goal vs leicester or the consolation against bayern leg 2)?

As a team we have most shots per game, second most shots on target per game, most successful dribbles per game, second most interceptions per game, and the best discipline in the league.And you guys are talking about Arsenal as if we're mid-table and as if Giroud is Harry Kane level.

These stats are showing why this team succeeds in spite of giroud's wastefulness. A better player in his situation would dominate the league, and bring some meaningful silverware to the emirates.

Having said that, I think he's quality cover for a top team, and is great to throw out in UCL group games and C1C/FA Cup stuff.

You're probably one of the guys who thinks Costa > Giroud and wanted us to sign Gomis.

That's a misleading stat. How does it look if you take out the meaningless goals he scored (eg the 5th goal vs leicester or the consolation against bayern leg 2)?

Who decides if a goal is meaningless or not?

You're probably one of the guys who thinks Costa > Giroud and wanted us to sign Gomis.

Costa is a better striker than Giroud

Costa is a better striker than Giroud

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p32OC97aNqc

What has Costa done this year? Ok, he had a good START to last year but tailed off then also. He is not the superstar the press would have you believe in fact his goal scoring record in the PL is not brilliant.

So far in England he has 22 goals in 36 matches, plus 4 assists

Gioroud by comparison (over the same period) has 20 goals in 39 matches, plus 3 assists

Not a great deal of difference and both have gone through similar dry spells, though Costa's seems to be going through a spell since Jan this year till now of not scoring regularly (pretty long spell).

This year Giroud has 6 goals in 12 games (6 of which have been from the bench) Costa has started 10 matches and only got 2 goals.

I hear we might be in for Jese Rodriguez from Madrid... hope this is true as he a very good player and only 22.

You're probably one of the guys who thinks Costa > Giroud and wanted us to sign Gomis.

What relevance does my opinion of costa or gomis have on how misleading goals/90 minute stats can be?

Who decides if a goal is meaningless or not?

It's a matter of opinion. Not everything can be just boiled down to numbers.

Are you meaning to suggest that every goal is of equal value?

It's a matter of opinion. Not everything can be just boiled down to numbers.Are you meaning to suggest that every goal is of equal value?

Do you what Goal Difference is and how does it impact the standing in the table? NO goal is meaning less.

Goal difference especially matters in the champions league at the moment, we could make it out of the group but it'll probably come down to goal diff.

the importance of goal differential doesnt change how misleading a stat like goals/90 minutes can be.

all goals are not of equal value because points come before goal differential. I would much rather have a goal scored vs. Liverpool and 2 extra points, than a 5th goal against Leicester.

take the champions league, for instance, had they not blown two games they had no excuse not to take the full three points from, no one would really care about goal differential.

Goals/90 does not the show the complete picture but it gives a sense of how effective a stricker can be.

All goals aren't of equal value, but right now specifically in the champions league they matter a great deal, because we lost two games to lesser quality clubs Zagreb/olypiacos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJPoyW1NF2k

Unrelated but Ozil can be unreal.

the importance of goal differential doesnt change how misleading a stat like goals/90 minutes can be. all goals are not of equal value because points come before goal differential. I would much rather have a goal scored vs. Liverpool and 2 extra points, than a 5th goal against Leicester.

But this is working under the premise that the striker in question would somehow be incapable of scoring a goal unless it was "unimportant", which brings us into very weird territory. It's like saying Diego Costa only scores if he thinks the goal is important, or that Aguero only makes that little bit extra effort if it's the first goal compared to the third. It sounds more like you are trying to design the stats around a bias against Giroud.

I'd say goals per 90 minutes is one of the few pure stats around. It ignores subs/starts and puts a number on how effective a striker is in comparison to others. How important a goal is comes down to opinion, as you say...but you can't measure opinion.

As others have mentioned, goal difference can make or break a season. If we end up winning the league on goal difference, who is to say Giroud's fifth goal against Leicester wasn't the decider? Or if we're losing 3-2, maybe Giroud scored our second and you think it's pointless because we lost, but perhaps that second goal could have resulted in an equaliser but another player missed it.

Giroud meaningless goals ????

His goal vs Swansea, Everton, Bayern(twice), Watford, Stoke, Crystal palace. All of this are first and second goal. He open up team or secure the win. Meaningless is 5 goals in one game, and then present him as most effective striker.

Giroud is actually amazing, especially considering his lack of pace.

I am yet to see a clear stat on the number of clear cut / great chances that Giroud gets to the number he scores.

I suspect he is not very high up on the rankings for that as I have seen him waste so many chances that he should have scored - the latest against Spurs, where a hat trick was there for him quite easily. He missed them all. My view is somewhat subjective of course because I have not seen any detail on this stat (except a shots to goals ratio, which is not the same thing).

It's just my perception at the moment that he we will cost us a lot of points from spurned chances at key moments in games.

http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/news/news/2015-16/oct/111015-premier-league-season-in-numbers-shooting-statistics.html

Player Big chance missed
Aguero 6

Giroud 6

Walcott 6

Sanchez 5