Creativity and being clinical are hallmarks of a dominant goalscoring team.

In the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23, there are a select few teams who have been efficient at converting their chances and have required fewer chances to score one goal, making up for an efficient chance-to-goal conversion rate.

However, there are other teams who haven’t been able to find the back of the net regularly despite creating several chances, falling prey to their lack of clinical edge in front of the goal. 

On that note, we rank the most efficient goalscoring Hero ISL sides in the 2022-23 campaign, based on the chances needed per goal scored: 

11. Jamshedpur FC - 9.9 chances

Having created 209 chances, third most in the league, the Men of Steel have lacked precision in front of goal, having scored 21 goals, ranking tenth across all teams this season.

The Aidy Boothroyd-led side haven’t found rhythm when it comes to their goalscoring attributes. Despite the flair of Rafael Crivellaro in the midfield and the link-up play of Daniel Chima Chukwu in the attacking third, the former Hero ISL League Shield winners have the lowest chance-to-goal conversion rate in the league at 10%.

10. ATK Mohun Bagan - 9.3 chances

It is indeed surprising to see the Hero ISL champions this low with respect to their efficiency in front of the goal. While talisman Dimitri Petratos was firing across all cylinders for the Mariners with 12 goals and seven assists, the side were unable to conclude their chances with a goal output, leading to 28 goals across all 24 games, ranking eighth in the goalscoring charts.

With 260 chances this season, the Green and Maroons were second to only Mumbai City FC who created three more chances than them (263). Out of those 260 chances, they have only converted 10.8% of those opportunities. The over reliability on the duo of Dimitri Petratos and Hugo Boumous - who were at the forefront of chance creation as well as chance conversion (109 chances and 28 goal contributions combined) - led to inefficiency in front of the goal.

9. Kerala Blasters FC - 6.9 chances

With 194 chances this season, one less than the previous one, there has not been much improvement in the chance creation aspect of the Blasters. Talisman Adrian Luna has continued to brew his creativity all over the pitch and remains the prime creator with 48 chances.

However, the chief attacking players in Dimitrios Diamantakos, Rahul KP, Apostolos Giannou, Sahal Samad, and Apostolos Giannou haven’t made the most out of the chances created this season. The Yellow Army have a chance-to-goal conversion rate of 14.4%.

=7. NorthEast United FC - 6.4 chances

The Highlanders might not have scored plenty of goals this season but they certainly have made the most out of their chances creation. With 128 chances, the Guwahati-based side have managed to net 20 goals, thereby converting 15.6% of those opportunities.

While there might have been influence in the gameplay of the team after managerial changes midway through the season, the side have been able to convert with their limited chances, requiring just 6.4 chances to score one goal.

=7. Bengaluru FC - 6.4 chances

The Blues had a divided season in terms of chance creation and conversion. The first-half of the season saw the side creating chances aplenty but were unable to convert it. After several tweaks by head coach Simon Grayson, the side became a cohesive unit and were thriving with goals with key playmaker and goalscorer Javi Hernandez at the helm.

Requiring 6.4 chances per goal, the Bengaluru-based side had a conversion rate of 15.7% which helped them give a massive boost in their run-up to the final involving a 10-game winning streak.

6. Odisha FC - 6.3 chances

Having scored 30 goals from 188 chances, the Juggernauts have not shied in front of the goal. Golden Boot winner Diego Mauricio has been able to highly benefit from the chances created and has thrived on the interplay between Raynier Fernandes, Saul Crespo, Isaac Vanmalsawma, Victor Rodriguez, Nandakumar Sekar, and Jerry Mawihmingthanga.

The Josep Gombau-led side converted 16% of their chances which has been a huge difference maker in their historic playoff finish this season in comparison to their 140 chances of last season.

=4. Chennaiyin FC - 5.6 chances

Under head coach Thomas Brdaric, Chennaiyin FC looked a completely different side, being able to breach opponents with their high tempo and attacking gameplay. The signings of Aakash Sangwan, Abdenasser El Khayati, Julius Duker, and Petar Sliskovic paid off as they were vital in creating chances for the side.

Having created 203 chances, the side were able to finish 17.7% of their chances. With 36 goals, the Marina Machans were the joint-second goalscoring team alongside Hyderabad FC and FC Goa. While they were able to find the back of the net regularly, the side’s recurring problems at the back posed a big obstacle in their pursuit of a playoff finish.

=4. East Bengal FC - 5.6 chances

With limited opportunities, East Bengal FC have finished off the chances that have come their way. Ranking at the bottom of the league with 124 chances, the Stephen Constantine-led side were able to finish 17.7% of those opportunities, leading to 22 goals. 

Lining up with a 4-4-2 formation, the Red and Golds relied heavily on two players for chance creation and conversion - Naorem Mahesh Singh and Cleiton Silva. Out of those 22 goals, 12 alone were scored by Silva while seven were assisted by Naorem.

=2. Hyderabad FC - 5.5 chances

The former Hero ISL champions have had a slight dip in chance creation and conversion as compared to last season. Requiring just 5.5 chances to score a goal, Hyderabad FC have been efficient in scoring goals despite the tweaks made by head coach Manolo Marquez, making the team more compact at the back.

Having created 200 chances this season, the lack of an outright playmaker led the team to create less chances this season. However, the side were able to net 36 goals from 200 chances, leading to a goal conversion rate of 18%.

=2. FC Goa - 5.5 chances

Creating 200 chances in 20 games, the Gaurs were always on the prowl for scoring goals. However, their two main goal contributors - Noah Sadaoui (18 goal contributions) and Iker Guarrotxena (11 goal contributions) scored the majority of the goals and lacked additional support from the team in order to net more goals.

Brandon Fernandes was the prime playmaker with 41 chances followed by Edu Bedia with 37. Netting 36 goals in the process, the Carlos Pena-coached side had a chance-to-goal conversion rate of 17.7%. The Goan outfit have not enjoyed their best of campaigns after failing to make it to the playoffs for a second consecutive season but the efficiency of their attackers could provide some solace to their supporters

1. Mumbai City FC - 4.7 chances

It is no surprise to see Mumbai City FC topping the list after a record-shattering and breath-taking Hero ISL 2022-23 campaign. Arguably, the most outstanding side across the league, the Hero ISL Shield winners scored the highest number of goals this season (56). The entire team was run as a well-oiled machine by head coach Des Buckingham.

Four players - Greg Stewart, Jorge Diaz, Ahmed Jahouh, and Lallianzuala Chhangte created more than 30 chances, highest among any other team in the league. Chhangte and Bipin Singh have been menacing down the wings while Jorge Diaz has been multifaceted in the final third, coupled with Stewart’s attacking prowess. With 263 chances, the Islanders were able to finish off 21.3% of those opportunities, more than any other team in the league.