Goalkeepers are becoming more and more important to a team’s tactics in the modern game.
Finding the right keeper is integral to a team’s success, and some teams have struggled with this over recent seasons.
Manchester City have recently found an incredible acquisition in Ederson after Claudio Bravo and Joe Hart failed to convince Pep Guardiola.
Ederson’s incredible rise outlines the importance of scouting for keepers outside the top five European leagues, as he came from Benfica.
This data analysis will look at the best-performing goalkeepers from outside the top five leagues, but still focusing on the better leagues.
This analysis will consider the top divisions from Russia, Portugal, Belgium, Holland, and Turkey, as well as the English championship.
We will consider their passing, sweeping, and shot-stopping abilities, creating a top three to conclude.
The best shot-stoppers
Playing outside the top five European leagues will often mean playing behind a weaker defence.
Although the same could be said about attacking players, goalkeepers will be exposed to more shots that vary in difficulty.
We will use statistics that we can compare against their defences and the number of goals they are expected to concede.
The above graph compares each goalkeeper’s goals against per 90 and their expected goals against per 90.
The players furthest above the trend line are conceding fewer goals than they were expected to.
