Drogba v. Rooney: Chelsea's Ivorian still has edge over Man Utd striker

However this season’s Premier League finishes, people will look back over the year at how two of the best strikers in the world have dominated proceedings for their clubs.

Earlier in the season I debated what evidence there was for Drogba, Rooney or Torres being the best striker in the league, and praised Drogba for being the most effective. Since then, even the most biased Chelsea fan would have to admit that Rooney has been on an incredible run of form and has proved prolific in front of goal. He now has four more goals in the league than Drogba, and effectively rendering the loss of Ronaldo irrelevant has been no mean feat.

Looking at the stats though, the difference between the two is too close to call. On average Rooney has scored a league goal every 95 minutes, Drogba has taken five minutes longer (a goal every 100 minutes). If you take into account assists though (Drogba has made nine compared with Rooney’s five) Drogba ‘contributes’ a goal every 71 minutes compared with one every 80 for Rooney.

Stats like this, of course, tell only one part of the story. Man Utd fans will point to Rooney’s other contributions to the team – for example his all action style, leadership, tracking-back and tackling. Chelsea fans of course would do the same for their man: he has probably been Chelsea’s most reliable defender from set pieces, he is one of the team’s most vocal leaders, he plays his game in the middle and out wide and his strength creates invaluable space for the likes of Anelka and Malouda.

So whilst these stats point to both strikers being almost equally balanced, I looked for other ways to compare their performance. Looking back over Drogba’s four goals against Arsenal this season, it occurred to me to compare which player scores most frequently against higher quality opponents. In this comparison, Drogba comes out comfortably ahead.

Flat track bullies?
So far this season, just over half (55%)of all Drogba’s 22 league goals have come against teams currently in the bottom half of the table. By comparison, 69% - or 18 – of Rooney’s goals have come against teams currently placed 11^th or below. Elsewhere, just 14% (3) of the Ivorian’s goals have come against the bottom three, while well over a third of Rooney’s (38%) have come against those currently in the relegation places. In fact, nine of Rooney’s 26 goals have come in the four matches Man Utd have played against Portsmouth and Hull.

Making it tough at the top?
Drogba’s record so far against teams higher in the table is impressive: 23% of his goals have come against top four opposition. Rooney has only scored three goals against the top four (12%). In total, less than a third (31%) of Rooney’s goals have come against teams in the top half of the league. While Rooney still has an opportunity to score against Chelsea to come, Drogba will face both United and Liverpool before the season is through.

Looking more broadly than just the percentages – and trying to give some proportional value to scoring against teams of different ability – I looked at giving each goal scored a number of points based on the league position of the team against which it was scored. I’m no mathematician, but giving a range of points from 20 (for each goal scored against the team currently placed first in the table, Man Utd) to one (for each goal scored against the team currently 20^th in the table, Portsmouth), seemed the fairest way.

Allotting points in this way, Drogba comes out on top again by a significant margin, scoring 220 ‘points’ to Rooney’s 181 (see table – click to enlarge).

Of course, in pointing to which player has been the most effective this season all these stats are flawed in some way. Firstly, not all games have been played, so whilst Drogba might have more games against better opposition to come, Rooney could well score hatfuls more against mid-table opponents still on Utd’s fixture list. More significantly, form changes everything too: one team’s resistance against Man Utd or Chelsea could be entirely different from one end of the season to the other. That also means that teams may have been in vastly different league positions. Furthermore, both players play in different sides who rely on them to varying degrees. Finally, I haven’t been able to look at goals scored in competitions other than the Premier League.

Nevertheless, the stats are indicative, and tell a part of the story that anecdote and opinion can’t reach. At the very least, they demonstrate how the number of goals in the ‘scored’ column alone doesn’t necessarily give the whole picture. Rooney will almost certainly win the key player of the year awards in the weeks to come – and those awards will be well deserved. But Drogba has been similarly unplayable and deserves equal recognition: the pre-World Cup hype of the English media and Chelsea’s recent decline shouldn’t colour judgement of his season come May.

Who would you have had in your team this season? Chelsea fans – would you exchange this season’s Drogba for Rooney? Maybe you’d exchange Drogba’s goals for less red cards and aggro from UEFA… Post a comment!

Comments

[zaneeblue]

Rooney takes Pens ,Drog doesnt.,

[Jose M.]

Load of rubbish, Rooney works 3 times as hard, doesn't spend the game rolling around on the floor... and has scored goals against AC Milan this season. Did Drogba do it on the big stage against Inter?! No because he is predictable, get in early and disrupt his play. Rooney is too strong to fall for this. Keep writing though pal!!

[Surattiya Patradhamkul]

In next match ManU vs Chelsea ,they will win again 2-1 and referee gives them the penalty while Chelsea lead 1-0. Drog may score but finally Man U take the title to make new ERA.

[bridgeviews.co.uk]

'Jose M.' - thanks for your comment and encouragement! I have to say, Drogba not working hard is a bit of a misomer. Can't really argue with your suggestion that he rolls around though...

And on the Milan point - I did emphasise that I couldn't look at goals scored in other competitions. Plus of course, anyone could have scored against that Milan defence... Drogba didn't do it against Inter because Chelsea didn't play well, Ancelotti's tactics (or lack thereof) delivered him no support and Chelsea's midfield was well off its game. Geenrally speaking though, Drogba plays well against the better opposition.

[zaneeblue]

Drogba won African Player of the year twice...rooney never will :P

[Paz1982]

Rooney has been far more consistent than Drogba over many more elements of his game this season. Drogba has been very good, but has gone missing in too many games. Last season, I would have had no problem in saying that Drogba was the better striker. But Rooney has just been getting better and better, and I think he has eclipsed Drogba now. He is a more complete forward than any other in the world, and the only striker that you could say rivals him is Messi.

[Shay]

Being a Chelsea fan, a lot of us love praising Didier, but right Rooney is the better. One of the primary reasons Rooney edges our beloved Ivorian is that to me, when under heavy pressure games and important stages (last 20mins of game etc), Inter, Everton, Blackburn, Citeh, etc, Drogba just seems to be somewhere else. One min he gives Arsenal a drubbing, next min, against say even Blackburn, when the pressure was on, at 1-1, when we look to DD, he is nowhere to be found, where as Rooney is a Mr. Reliable, whether he scores, or creates the chance. Rooney is what Messi or Robben do, dribble past 2-3 players, changes the whole game on his own and doesn't need team-mates. That is where Drogba, who has the potential to do just that, lacks.

[name]

i love these man united fans desperatly trying to find excuses why rooney should be better -.-
btw im neither for drogba or rooney, just saying

[RedtillDead]

United fan here but a good analysis. Cearly few reds would swap Rooney for anyone and equally the same would apply for Chelsea fans and Drogba. They are both very good players and manage to do the work of 2 forwards. Both for me though are yet to reach the level of great. One thing I'd throw in Rooney's favour is that he's got 5-6 years on Drogba. Good blog interesting to get another view.

[MikeyD]

NOT desperately trying to find excuses, but such analysis can be designed to 'prove' almost anything :) but one thing is undeniable, rooney these days is undeniably a loyal red whereas Drog tends to pick up reds (cards, that is ... what were u thinking) :P

[Peter]

Rooney scored 4 goals in 341 minutes of CL 2009/2010 while Drogba scored 3 goals in 447 minutes of CL 2009/2010. Rooney scored 3 of those goals in the first knock round while Drogba scored all of his goals in the group stage.

I'm a United fan and I think both players are fantastic full stop. Statistical analysis of this nature is futile and can be manipulated either way based on the bias of the writer.

[yiddish]

yup, the stats are meaningless here - if drogba scores less goals, then that used as a base count for your percentages of course ups the stats in his favour ;0

i.e. A scores only 2 goals, and both are against big 4 or in one game vs pool - his stats are 100% !

whats the point of scoring the teams anyways - also, by spliting the table into top half and bottom half assumes the table has always been in fixed state - has it? manutd have scored against teams that were in top half and caused them to lose and drop to bottom half and vice versa, and when you take that into account, how is the "scoring" chart of yours reliable? ;p

[Aious]

Just because Rooney is having a better year doesn't mean the argument shifts completely to him.

United has done a fantastic job putting Rooney in a spot to finish and score while Chelsea, imo, has done a ridiculously poor job doing just that in many games with DD.

I figure Rooney is soon going to cool off while DD heats up.

[Paddy]

Good article but I have to disagree with your conclusions (cos I'm a Man United fan). I think they're both equally dangerous and equally as important to their teams. Drogba's pure strength let's him out muscle anybody whereas Rooney has become a master at making space in the box to get his tap ins.

For me, I'd rather Rooney in my team simply due to how he forces us to play when he's in the team. He links and changes play exceptionally well, whereas Chelsea often seem too direct when playing to Drogba. This is no reflection on Drogba at all but this affects my decision when deciding who I'd rather in my team!

[arase victor]

for me rooney is the better player,bcos he seems to help the deffence when ever he is playing,why drogba just wait in the box and uses his strength.