Player Focus: La Liga Rivals for Spain Striking Spot

The striker situation in Spain’s national team has always been a contentious issue, particularly surrounding players based in La Liga. In the past week the debate emerged again, as Roberto Soldado was selected ahead of Álvaro Negredo in Spain’s Confederations Cup Squad. Many were unhappy about not only this, but the omission of other strikers to have had excellent seasons. Here is a look at some of the best Spanish strikers on show currently in La Liga.

Álvaro Negredo (Sevilla) - WhoScored rating: 7.22

Soldado’s arch-nemesis as such, and the man who has lost out this time around when it comes to Spain’s squad, Negredo has in some way suffered due to Sevilla’s own poor form and mid-table mediocrity, but he’s also partly to blame. The bulky striker can often distance himself from games and not look hungry enough, negating his threat in key areas. When he does get there, however, his inability to take his chances is something of a mystery.

With 4.1 shots per game he’s averaged the most out of all our strikers here – with one less goal than Soldado, with 21 in 35 appearances. Also, his 29 missed clear-cut chances are the most in Europe’s top 5 leagues. On the positive side, he wins 3.5 aerial duels per game, which is the most in this list, as he proves that when in the mood, he can be a combative presence. To improve, Negredo needs to show more composure in front of goal, and a ruthless nature when presented with opportunities having missed the target with more shots from inside the box (50) than any other player in Europe.

Roberto Soldado (Valencia) - WhoScored rating: 7.17

The Valencia man has suffered the disappointment of being left out of many squads before, but this time he’s been included over Álvaro Negredo. For many, it’s a deserved selection from Vicente Del Bosque. The Valencia striker is currently the top scoring Spanish striker in La Liga, as he’s notched 22 goals in 34 appearances.

His strikes have come from 2.7 shots per game, and although he’s taking fewer shots his conversion rate (23.7%) is very impressive. Soldado’s a gritty striker, and is able to do the dirty work in attack as well as relying on his finishing between poaching and the odd spectacular strike. More often than not though, he simply gets himself in the right position at the right time. With the season winding down, he’s managed to score several important goals too, including braces against Málaga and Rayo Vallecano, while netting the winner against Granada last weekend.

Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo) - WhoScored rating: 7.12

The fact he’s set to join Liverpool tells you just how impressive Iago Aspas has been in this, his debut season in La Liga. A tally of 23 goals in Segunda showed he had potential, and firing in 12 goals this season in Primera has seen the forward make a relatively smooth. Aspas’ game is all about his total commitment and his attitude, although fiery at times, comes with the best intentions.

Without him, Celta Vigo would’ve been relegated long ago. He’s scored a third of Celta’s 36 goals, while contributing 6 assists to his team, which is no surprise given his 2 key passes per game is above that of any teammate. His vibrancy on the field is infectious, and he’s able to drift into the channels, and drop deep to initiate attacks while also possessing the ability to play on the shoulder of a centre-back. At 26-years-old, Aspas still has plenty of time to get even better, and given his desire on the field, don’t expect to fail to do so.

Rubén Castro (Real Betis) - WhoScored rating: 7.04

Rubén Castro is without doubt something of a late bloomer, as his travels around Spain with various Spanish clubs brought mixed fortunes. His working under Pepe Mel, however, has seen him emerge as one of the most lethal marksman in Spain. At the weekend he smashed in another strike, taking his tally to 18 in 33 games. Those efforts have come from just 78 shots, which is impressive when compared to Negredo, who has taken 142.

Castro’s movement and intelligence are his best features, alongside his obvious goal scoring capabilities, with the 31-year-old knowing exactly where to pull defenders and exploit the gaps. Castro’s game, however, is not just about goals, and out of all the marksmen here he’s supplied the joint-most assists, with 6. He’s by no means a slouch and works the channels, dropping into midfield adeptly to bring others into play. As many say, it’s just a shame he’s not younger.

Aritz Aduriz (Athletic Bilbao) - WhoScored rating: 6.93

Replacing someone as imperious as Fernando Llorente is no simple task, but Aritz Aduriz has handled the responsibility superbly. Although Llorente had not left for Juventus yet, Marcelo Bielsa took the decision to remove him from the team and give Aduriz the opportunity to lead the line. The Basque striker has responded with 14 goals in 35 appearances. Just under half of them have been with his head, with 6 from 36 headed efforts.

That tally of headed goals is the most in La Liga alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Helder Postiga, and he’s also won the most aerial duels per game at Athletic (2.7) of any player to have played more than 10 games, while from the point of view of his associative play, he’s also weighed in with 6 assists. Aduriz has been an underrated quantity for many years in Spain, scoring goals wherever he’s been when given the chance, and at €2.5m he’s proven to be a steal for Athletic despite being in his thirties.

Imanol Agirretxe (Real Sociedad) - WhoScored rating: 6.91

Agirretxe has been one of the surprise packages of the season and is a player building an impressive following. Whereas Aduriz directly replaced Llorente, it’s Agirretxe who has become the fashionable target man striker. With such a brilliant attacking support act in the likes of Carlos Vela, Antoine Griezmann and Xabi Prieto, the credit must also go to Agirretxe for amending his game to work cohesively with them all – shown by the fact that he’s managed 5 assists.

Agirretxe can play with his back to goal, move into the channels and play as a standard number 9; he’s multi-faceted and that’s what makes him such an asset. He showed against Valencia too, his ability in terms of technique and skill, with a series of quality finishes. With 13 goals from 77 shots, his conversion rate (16.9%) is not bad at all, as la Real have shot up the table, and Agirretxe will look to improve on that next season, and perhaps reach the 20-mark.