Southampton haven’t had the best start to the new Premier League season, finding themselves in 16th position with just seven points. However, they have shown their capabilities with two 2-1 wins over Chelsea and Leicester City. Their slow start could be because of the number of young players they have signed who have gone straight into their starting eleven. Their squad has an average age of 24.1, the second youngest in the league behind Arsenal.
Four of these players were signed from Manchester City, including their new first-choice goalkeeper, Gavin Bazunu. After a fairly successful loan spell at Portsmouth last season, the Republic of Ireland international made the huge leap to first-choice Premier League goalkeeper.
This tactical analysis will look at how Bazunu has fared in his first eight Premier League games. We’ll look at his goalkeeping abilities, how adept he is at sweeping, and how his passing fits into Southampton’s tactics. We will also compare him to other goalkeepers in the league to put his stats into context.
Bazunu as a shot-stopper
Unless you were a Portsmouth or Republic of Ireland fan, the name Bazunu would’ve been unheard of to you. His best performances came in his international games, most notably saving a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty. But how does he rank in goalkeeping terms?
The above graph doesn’t make great reading for Bazunu. He ranks under the league average for both stats. He has a save percentage of 63.89% and has prevented -0.183 goals per 90, meaning he has conceded more goals than he was expected to. However, the quality of his defence has to be taken into consideration. Three of his back four are new signings, meaning it will take them a while to all gel together. For a 20-year-old playing his first season in the top flight, with a completely new defence, these stats, in context, aren’t as bad as they seem.
