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Talent isn't everything in football. For talent to translate into results on the football pitch, it needs to be complemented by hard work, intelligence, resilience and composure. These are roughly the factors that need to come together for a player to be performing at his best.
Teams that hope to mount title challenges will find it hard to go the distance without proven goalscorers. They need reliable marksmen who will make the most of the opportunities and can even feed off the scraps. That's why strikers need to be sharp, intelligent and clinical in their ways.
Keeping up with the rigors of professional football is quite a task. It is then no surprise that players occasionally suffer from a dip in form. When forwards are struggling to find their rhythm, their contributions to the goalscoring department will start to dwindle.
On that note, let's take a look at five world-class players who need to score more goals.
#5 Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City)
The good thing for Manchester City is that Pep has developed his team into a unit that can function at the highest level without an out-and-out striker. For a club that has benefitted from the services of a world-class striker like Sergio Aguero for a decade, that's quite a shift.
The initial plan was for another South American to take up the mantle after Aguero. However, that man, Gabriel Jesus, has not delivered and questions are now being asked of his goalscoring ability. Since scoring 23 goals and providing 14 assists in 53 appearances across all competitions in the 2019-20 season, Jesus' returns have dropped off.
He scored just 14 goals in 42 appearances across all competitions in the 2020-21 season. If you've seen Manchester City go about their business on the field, you'd know that they don't suffer from a shortage of chances. Jesus will need to up his goalscoring rate or Manchester City will have no qualms moving forward without him.
#4 Anthony Martial (Manchester United)
Manchester United's mercurial forward Anthony Martial just cannot seem to have two good seasons on the trot. He'll look world-class in one and look thoroughly ordinary in the next.
Following Romelu Lukaku's departure, Solskjaer trusted Martial to lead Manchester United's line. He repaid the faith the manager placed in him, scoring 23 goals and providing 12 assists in 48 appearances across all competitions in the 2019-20 season.
But he was a shadow of his former shelf in the 2020-21 season. He scored just seven goals in 36 appearances across all competitions this past season. The 25-year-old struggled for form and looked off-pace and fell below Edinson Cavani and Mason Greenwood in the pecking order.
After six seasons of flash and fade, it looks like the 2021-22 season could really decide Martial's future at Manchester United. He needs to step up and deliver now.
#3 Roberto Firmino (Liverpool)
Roberto Firmino is the engine that keeps Liverpool ticking. He is a far cry from the average striker and is more involved in playmaking than most number 9s. However, Firmino's goalscoring output is starting to become a cause for concern for Jurgen Klopp's side.
The Brazilian's goalscoring rate has diminished considerably over the past couple of seasons. He has been guilty of missing gilt-edged chances in recent times and his form in front of goal is starting to worry supporters.
Firmino scored just nine goals and provided nine assists in 48 appearances across all competitions last term. With Sadio Mane also struggling to hit the heights he is used to in the 2020-21 season, the burden of goalscoring fell on Salah.
The Egyptian international delivered but for Liverpool to return to their dominant form from the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, they'll need Firmino to fire.
#2 Timo Werner (Chelsea)
Timo Werner established himself as a proven goalscorer with sound technique during his time at RB Leipzig. Or at least that's what football fans, and more importantly Chelsea, had come to believe.
However, Werner's misfortunes in front of goal have often bordered on the comical and at times even stumbled over to ridiculous. His link-up play, movements and tenacity are definitely saving graces but Werner's primary duty is to score goals and he has not been very good at it.
If he was good at it, Chelsea would have been about €115 million richer as they wouldn't have had to rope in Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan. Werner scored just 12 goals in 52 appearances for the Blues in the 2020-21 season.
If he doesn't shape up this season and start scoring goals, there's every chance that Chelsea will look to offload him next summer to cut their losses.
#1 Eden Hazard (Real Madrid)
Real Madrid paid €100 million (rising to €146 million with add-ons) to sign Eden Hazard from Chelsea in 2019. The La Liga giants' objective was to find a player who can replicate the heroics of a certain Cristiano Ronaldo.
So it's safe to say that they were going for a player who could replace someone who scored 450 goals in 438 appearances for them. Not only has signing Hazard worked out to plan, it has in fact made Real Madrid tear up their old blueprint for success.
Hazard has made just 44 appearances for Real Madrid over the course of two seasons. Fitness issues and injuries have definitely played a hand but Hazard's form, whenever he has been deployed, hasn't inspired confidence. In 44 appearances, Hazard has scored just five goals and provided nine assists.
Karim Benzema has been carrying the burden of goalscoring for Real Madrid but he will need someone to come and help him out. Hazard needs to become that player and justify his price tag or his dream move to Real Madrid will be filed as a disaster.
