Michael Smith Scout Report
Michael Smith is a seasoned striker featuring for Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship, boasting commanding experience at 32. A distinctly English presence on the field, Smith has completed a respectable number of matches this season, clocking in 1230 minutes of play so far. His performance oscillates in various areas with certain strong points identifiable. Smith displays heartening goal efficiency, coming in at 55.56% in the percentile ranking, a commendable feature for a striker of his age.
However, a striking concern arises when we look at Smith’s ball retention metrics, pitifully low at 4.76%, rendering his effectiveness in play significantly suppressed. An even more concerning stat is his progressive carrying, shockingly dipping to 1.59%, presumably due to his advancing age, hampering his bid at transporting the ball forward with any alarming dynamism or agility.
Moreover, Smith's chance creation and progressive passing percentiles stand at 9.52% and 14.29%, respectively, which casts shadows over his creative abilities. What stands out, however, is his tenacious knack of goal threat, almost tipping the scale to an average 46.03%, offering Sheffield Wednesday a reliable contingency plan in front of goal when required.
The data highlights that Smith, although declining in his creative and ball-carriage sets, still endures as a substantial goal threat, a familiar English fox in the box, courtesy of his solid goal efficiency albeit sporadic contributions in terms of assists and shot numbers per ninety minutes. He remains a potentially crucial asset for Sheffield Wednesday, his experience fitting as a solid jigsaw piece in their attacking puzzle. Nonetheless, time might be catching up with him, and it's intriguing to envision how he reinvents his game moving forward.