Top 5 Players Who Have Missed The Most ‘Big Chances’ In The Premier League This Season

David Tully

5 months ago

Categories: Galleries, Manchester City News

Tags: Arsenal, aston villa, Brentford, Brighton, Chelsea, Everton, Fulham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Sheffield United, Southampton, spurs, West Ham, wolves

The statisticians at Opta record a stat for Premier League matches that classifies a shooting opportunity as a ‘big chance’.

Their definition for this is a situation where a player can “reasonably be expected to score”.

A few of the examples that are given are penalties, one-on-one opportunities and very-close range shots with no player blocking a shot to goal.

Press the next page as we list the top five players in the Premier League this season who have missed the most ‘big chances (as of 30th November 2023).

=4) Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea) – 8

The £32m summer signing from Villarreal has been given the responsibility of leading the line for the Blues this season.

Jackson has already demonstrated his superb work ethic and pace, but his finishing ability and movement have been called into question.

6 goals in 12 league appearances doesn’t look like a bad return on paper but he did score a hat-trick against nine-man Tottenham.

In other matches, Jackson has missed some absolute sitters so his position in the top 5 is not a surprise.

=4) Rasmus Hojlund (Manchester United) – 8

The Danish international cost the Red Devils £72m but he is yet to score in 9 Premier League appearances.

Having scored 5 for United in the Champions League, you do think it will be just a matter of time before Hojlund gets off the mark domestically.

However, it is clear that he is far from the finished article in front of goal, having missed his fair share of gilt-edged opportunities already.

We shall have to wait and see whether Hojlund can break his duck against Newcastle this weekend.

3) Darwin Nunez (Liverpool) – 11

The Uruguayan is extremely inconsistent when converting chances.

Anyone who saw Nunez’s two goals in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Newcastle back in August would think he is up there with the very best finishers.

Yet, there are times this season when he has managed to miss open goals. For any Liverpool fan, the 24-year-old can be a cause of much frustration.

Despite being in double figures for ‘big chances” missed, Nunez has still racked up 7 goals and 6 assists in all competitions.

2) Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) – 13

Some may raise an eyebrow that the in-form striker is near the top of this list but stats don’t lie.

Watkins has hit the back of the net 7 times in 13 appearances but he could, arguably, have scored more than that.

For Villa, though, it is not just the England international’s goals that have been pivotal to their strong start to the campaign.

Watkins has also provided 7 assists, demonstrating how important he is to the Villans as a creator, as well as a finisher.

1) Erling Haaland (Manchester City) – 14

There has been more criticism of the Norwegian during his second season at the Etihad, despite still being the Premier League’s top scorer.

It may have something to do with the fact that Haaland has been less clinical. 14 big chances missed in 13 matches means he could reach 40 by the end of the season if he continues to fluff his lines at his current rate.

Haaland was actually top of this metric last campaign too (missing 28 big chances) but, as we have said, his profligacy has increased this season.

If he still ends up winning the Golden Boot and helping City to another league title, though, nobody will be complaining.