How a fringe Aston Villa player became Europe's most prolific scorer
A former Aston Villa player has become one of Europe's top scorers since moving to Roma, with data pointing to a positional change as the key reason behind his transformation.
The 27-year-old Dutch forward, once a fringe figure at Aston Villa, has undergone a dramatic transformation since joining Roma. At the Premier League club he managed 10 goals and two assists in 46 appearances, but in Serie A he has already scored 21 goals with three assists in just 25 matches.
His scoring rate has sharply improved as well. At Villa, he averaged one goal every 149.8 minutes, while at Roma that figure has dropped to one goal every 96.7 minutes.
A change in role
While confidence and form may play some part, the numbers suggest the real driver behind his resurgence is a change in playing position. At Villa, he was frequently deployed across the front line and spent only 52% of his league minutes as a central striker.
At Roma, under manager Gian Piero Gasperini, 99% of his Serie A minutes have come through the middle, making him the focal point of the team's attack.
Praise from pundits
The eye test backs up the statistics. Following Roma's 1-1 Champions League draw with Fenerbahce last Thursday, in which the forward set up his team's goal, French football journalist Julien Laurens told Match of the Day that the player has become central to Gasperini's tactical plans. Laurens noted the player has been outstanding since January, highly efficient and clinical, and now sits at the heart of everything the team does in possession.
