Team Focus: Manchester City Will Regret Not Signing Mario Gomez
There’s a button on the Internet that is pressed whenever Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez impresses for club or country. This button has become somewhat of a sensation over the World Wide Web, with fans readying the link to the site whenever the frontman takes to the field. The Germany international has regularly been dubbed the ultimate poacher, such is his ability in and around the 18 yard box. This knack for being in the right place at the right time has seen the striker net 221 club goals in 373 appearances; an average of a goal every 1.6 games, a figure that would rival the great goalscoring strikers in Europe at present.
Yet, while a number of football’s biggest teams are chasing the likes of Edinson Cavani, Robert Lewandowski and Wayne Rooney, Gomez is perhaps being cruelly overlooked when discussing the continent’s finest striking talents. This is further evidenced in that the Germany international’s conversion rate of 28.9% was more impressive than that of the aforementioned trio last season.
This came despite Gomez making just nine starts for Bayern in the Bundesliga last season, while netting 11 in 21 games altogether, scoring a goal every 79.7 minutes. Only Ivan Klasnic’s return of a goal every 65 minutes was more impressive than the striker in Germany’s top tier, although Klasnic did only make three Bundesliga appearances with Mainz 05 last season. Regardless of the lack of first team action, with Mario Mandzukic the first choice striker under then Bayern head coach Jupp Heynckes, it’s a return that, when compared to every player with 10 or more appearances in Europe’s top five leagues last season, is behind only Barcelona’s Lionel Messi (a goal every 57 minutes).
It’s clear that with a consistent run of action, Gomez would be a fine acquisition for any team across Europe, provided the midfielders behind him are capable of providing the creativity from which the German would undoubtedly prosper. Bolstering his credentials further, only Klasnic again had fewer touches per goal (25) than the Bayern Munich striker (27.1) in the Bundesliga last season, outlining his prowess in the penalty area.
Such is his assurance in front of goal, shown by the fact that all 11 of his goals came inside the 18-yard box, the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Fiorentina have all been credited with an interest, regardless of the Premier League pairing also being linked with a move for Cavani. It’s Serie A side Fiorentina that appear to be leading the race for Gomez, and with the money Napoli are demanding for Cavani, it’s arguable that the English pairing should’ve pushed harder for the German.
The striker scored nine of the big chances created for him out of a possible 14 last season, with an impressive conversion of 64.3% from said attempts. When compared to the same figures for the three above teams, it’s City (28.9%) that could utilise a player of his attacking prowess the most, with the Citizens as a collective converting just 35 of the 121 total clear-cut chances they created last season. Much of this was down to the poor finishing of strikers Edin Dzeko and Sergio Agüero, who boasted clear-cut conversion rates of 37% and 28% respectively, a signficant drop when compared to that of Gomez.
Such was the pairing's poor return, along with the rest of the team, that a player of Gomez’s ability could be exactly what City need for the new campaign, especially with the club netting only 1.74 goals per game last year; a drop from the 2.45 from their title winning season. Goalscoring was unmistakably a problem for the club, yet under new head coach Manuel Pellegrini, the opportunity is there to regain the attacking verve that made them such a dynamic force pushing forward in the 2011/12 season.
This is perhaps highlighted by the fact that City as a team made 509 key passes over the course of the season; only two Premier League teams - Liverpool (548) and Tottenham Hotspur (516) - made more. With the incisiveness of the players operating behind him, Gomez would’ve undoubtedly thrived upon the creative talent that Pellegrini can now call upon, especially when taking into consideration that midfielder David Silva played an average of 3.3 key passes per game last season; the highest in Europe’s top five leagues.
The likelihood, however, of City moving for Gomez this summer diminishes with each passing day. As the striker edges ever closer to a move to Fiorentina, it’s understandable as to why the Serie A side are aiming to bring in the Germany international, especially with current striker Stevan Jovetic expected to leave over the summer. A man to lead the frontline is a necessity due to the supposed departure of the 23-year old and while the team converted 40% of their clear-cut goalscoring chances created last season, that figure will be set to rise should they acquire the German.
Either way, missing out on Gomez could have an adverse effect on City. Following the sale of Carlos Tevéz last week, coupled with the January departure of Mario Balotelli to AC Milan, it leaves just Dzeko and Agüero as the only two senior out and out strikers at the club. With the former tipped to be shown the exit door, a player of Gomez’s ilk would’ve significantly bolstered the attacking options available to Pellegrini. Nevertheless, with Cavani also expected to slip through their fingers, it remains to be seen where City will turn next in their pursuit of a striker as they aim to wrestle the Premier League title back from Manchester United.
