Black Star Spotlight: Ernest Nuamah’s Goal-Scoring Potential on the Rise with Enhanced Shot Selection

Ernest Nuamah showcased his remarkable skills on Sunday, netting a breathtaking long-range strike against Nice, which secured a 2-0 victory for Lyon in Ligue 1.

Collecting the ball near the halfway line, the Ghanaian winger powered forward and curled a spectacular shot beyond goalkeeper Marcin Bulka.

This marked his first goal from outside the box this season after 12 attempts, emphasising the challenge of scoring from distance, where accuracy and shot quality are crucial.

Typically, a shot must be exceptionally accurate to beat a goalkeeper from a distance. Traditionally, the closer you are to the goal, the better your chances of scoring.

This is why the Expected Goals (xG) model places considerable weight on the distance from which a shot is taken.

In general, prolific scorers tend to fire more shots from within the penalty area or six-yard box. For some time now, this has been a weakness for Nuamah.

He has struggled to accumulate xG during his time at Lyon, which has impacted his goal count. Last season, despite taking 43 shots in Ligue 1, he only racked up an xG of 4, underperforming as he managed to score just three times.

This season has seen slight improvements as he is taking shots closer to goal, with the average distance for all attempts currently standing at 16.8 yards compared to last season’s 18.0 yards.

Despite these advancements, Nuamah continues to encounter challenges regarding shot quality and positioning. His xG per shot stands at 0.09, indicating a need for improvement in generating high-quality chances nearer the goal.

For comparison, teammate Rayan Cherki, who has taken just four more shots, has already more than doubled Nuamah’s goal count this season, boasting an xG per shot of 0.15.

Nuamah has faced three big chances this season and has had only 49 touches inside the penalty area from a total of 545 touches in Ligue 1.

To enhance his xG per shot, Nuamah should concentrate on moving centrally into areas where he can create dangerous chances inside the penalty box, similar to the goal he scored against Nantes.

Moreover, improving his off-ball movement and refining his first touch to either create space or navigate tight situations can significantly enhance his xG per shot. Nuamah executed these strategies excellently for his goal against Montpellier, particularly by hitting the ball from a wide angle, limiting the goalkeeper’s capacity to make a stop.

The Ghanaian possesses the talent needed to consistently implement these strategies and augment his goal tally.

Despite a slight dip in shot accuracy (which stands at 41.7% compared to last season’s 46.5%), he has matched last season’s goal tally of three, having taken 19 fewer shots, indicating an improvement in efficiency.

This is reflected in his goals per shot on target, which stands at 0.30, double that of the previous season, suggesting that when his shots do hit the target, they are much more likely to result in goals.

In his pursuit of precision, however, he may be aiming off target more frequently, as evidenced by him hitting the crossbar twice this season.

Overall, Nuamah’s performance indicates a steady progression under new coach Paulo Fonseca. Prior to Fonseca’s arrival, he only found the net once without any assists in 14 appearances.

Since Fonseca took the helm, in six matches (four of which were starts), he has scored twice, provided one assist, and equalled his previous total of five shots on target in significantly fewer matches. His dribbling has also seen a marked improvement, completing nine successful dribbles under Fonseca, compared to just six prior.

This surge in confidence and better decision-making point towards Nuamah being on the brink of even greater achievements as he continues to adapt to Fonseca’s tactics at Lyon.

The Black Star Watch is an engaging weekly column authored by Owuraku Ampofo, an experienced sports journalist with over five years of experience covering Ghanaian players. This column aims to reveal trends, tackle pressing questions, and shine a light on the hottest topics surrounding Ghanaian footballers.