Goalscoring has become synonymous with the words Jamie Maclaren over the course of his career, with the Socceroo currently on track for his fourth golden boot in the A-League Men.
Maclaren has continued his stellar form in Australia after netting the opening goals for the Green and Gold against Vietnam and Oman respectively last month.
Maclaren has scored ten goals in 13 matches in the league this campaign - the highest of any A-League Men's player, and he also has the third-highest minutes per goal of any player to play above 90 minutes, having found the back of the net every 124 this season.
No player in the A-League Men competition has had more shots on target than Jamie Maclaren, while he also holds the highest expected goals of any individual, having gained an xG of 9.5.
The stellar attacking stats outline Melbourne City’s positive, possession approach which has been at the forefront of the league in recent seasons, and Maclaren’s team, also featuring current Socceroos Matthew Leckie, Marco Tilio and Connor Metcalfe, sit top of the league, albeit with a disparity in matches played.
Maclaren has also continued in his goalscoring being of the pure poaching mould; all ten of his goals this season have been from inside the box, while five have come with his right foot, four have come with his left, and one from his head.
Over his last three and a half seasons at Melbourne City since joining from Hibernian, only 3.2% of his goals have been from outside the box - out of his total 62, two have been from outside the penalty area.
His movement and finishing ability within the box has formed a key part of the City side who won the A-League Men's double last season, topping the league table before overcoming Sydney FC in the Grand Final.
This season, Maclaren has scored 32.3% of City’s total goals, while last campaign he almost netted half of the Melbourne side’s, scoring 44% of their total.
Over his 125 games in the A-League Men’s competition, Maclaren has scored 103 goals - an average of 0.824 per game.
His astonishing goalscoring campaign last season saw him score every 82 minutes, while with ten goals in 14 appearances this season, it’s not impossible to rule out another season that sees him net above a goal per game.
After scoring two goals in his last two appearances for the Socceroos, Maclaren’s goalscoring form could form crucial for the Green and Gold in the upcoming two matches.
Australia play rivals Japan on the 24th of March at Stadium Australia, with three points vital to remain in the running for auto qualification.
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