The two most expensive goalkeepers of all time ply their trade in the Premier League - well, three if you count Kyle Walker, thanks to his 10-minute stint between the sticks following Claudio Bravo’s red card against Atalanta, earlier on this season.
When it comes to the numbers though, Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizaballaga and Liverpool’s Alisson are at opposite ends of the table.
In data collated by StatsBomb, Alisson leads the way for Adjusted Save Percentage (aSV), justifying Jurgen Klopp’s decision to replace Loris Karius at Anfield 18 months ago.
The statistic is calculated by taking Expected Save Percentage away from Save Percentage - and though it is a good descriptor of current performance, it can’t necessarily predict the future.
Following on from Alisson’s stellar season are some of the usual suspects. Kasper Schmeichel comes in second behind the Liverpool stopper, just as Leicester trail Liverpool in the league standings. Dean Henderson pips Ederson into third, perhaps an indicator of Sheffield United’s fantastic form this season. Crystal Palace’s Vicente Guaita is fifth.
At the bottom of the board sits Southampton’s Angus Gunn; the Saints keeper’s stats wildly inflated by conceding nine goals to Leicester in October. Chelsea’s Kepa sits just above Gunn, with Nick Pope, Paulo Gazziniga and Alisson’s deputy, Adrian, making up the bottom five.
It’ll be a disappointment for David de Gea to find himself in the bottom half of the table, after the Spaniard was criticised in December for goals he conceded against Everton and Watford. England no.1 Jordan Pickford is just the wrong side of the graph for his liking, while Arsenal’s Bernt Leno continues to be one of the Gunners’ brighter sparks of the season, appearing in the top half of the table.
The statistics are calculated not from regular xG but from an approximation. As xG includes all shots, whether on or off target, these stats instead use oTxG, or on-target expected goals.
Which #PremierLeague GKs overperform on-target xG? (using SV% instead of p90 metrics)
Alisson, Schmeichel still on
% metrics don't help the cases of Kepa, Gunn
(Gunn's numbers worsened due to 0-9 vs #LCFC)
Heaton, Ederson using % rather than p90.
Data: @fbrefpic.twitter.com/1suvPQU7BZ— José C. Pérez (@jcperez_) January 7, 2020
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