SHOTS on target are worth one point each again in Dream Team this coming season.
One point may not seem like much but they soon add up and it goes without saying that shots on target correlate with goals so gaffers should monitor this metric as the campaign progresses.
With that in mind, let’s recap which players registered the most shots on target in all competitions last season.
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MOST SHOTS ON TARGET 2023/24:
- Erling Haaland – 88
- Mohamed Salah – 72
- Darwin Nunez – 69
- Phil Foden – 65
- Cole Palmer – 65
- Ollie Watkins – 58
- Bruno Fernandes – 55
- Julian Alvarez – 55
- Alexander Isak – 51
- Nicolas Jackson – 49
As is often the case with attacking statistics, Haaland and Salah lead the field – there’s a reason they are the two most-expensive players in the game ahead of 2024/25.
Both Manchester City’s No9 and Liverpool’s Egyptian hero missed a portion of last season through injury (the latter also had AFCON commitments) but they’re such potent threats in the final third that still nobody overhauled them.
Nunez scored 18 goals in 2023/24 which is a more than useful tally but the Anfield faithful will be the first to admit he squandered more than his fair share of chances too.
The enigmatic Uruguayan can be a frustrating Dream Team asset to own as he’s equally capable of the sublime as the ridiculous.
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If he can improve his efficiency in front of goal even a fraction, as he has done in international football of late, his returns will skyrocket.
Nothing separates Foden and Palmer, the first two midfielders in the list.
The latter is particularly notable as he racked up his total without European fixtures to bolster his schedule.
If Chelsea qualify for the Europa Conference League group stage as expected, Palmer could feast in the coming months.
Speaking of the Blues, Jackson is a somewhat surprising inclusion in tenth.
The Senegal international is similar to Nunez in that he can look out of his depth one moment and a real handful the next.
After a slow start, the ex-Villarreal forward ended his first campaign on English shores with 17 goals to his name.
It will be interesting to see how Jackson fares this coming season under Enzo Maresca.
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Gaffers should constantly be on the look out for defenders who provide a threat in the final third with shots on target being a strong indicator.
MOST SHOTS ON TARGET AMONG DEFENDERS 2023/24:
- Matty Cash – 18
- Virgil van Dijk – 17
- Josko Gvardiol – 15
- Lewis Dunk – 14
- Pedro Porro – 13
- Fabian Schar – 13
- Trent Alexander-Arnold – 11
- Ruben Dias – 11
- Gabriel – 11
Aston Villa’s attack-minded right-back topped the pile but it’s worth noting that he slipped down the pecking order as the campaign progressed – he’s by no means a guaranteed starter at this stage.
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It’s no surprise to see the likes of Gvardiol, Alexander-Arnold and Porro present – all three are excellent options ahead of the new season.
Van Dijk, Dunk, Schar, Dias and Gabriel were persistent aerial threats at set-pieces – always a nice bonus for Dream Team gaffers.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
