Stats Analysis: Premier League's Top Stoppers

When it comes to statistical analysis there are often a number of players who are overlooked - possibly to their relief - but WhoScored has taken the time to look into the efficiency of the rare breed that is goalkeepers! Studying the stoppers to have made more than 5 starts in the Premier League, we look at those who have the best save conversion rate, as well as those who could do much better.

There are certainly a few standout individuals who either rank highly in a number of areas or, in the case of Blackburn's Paul Robinson, right at the bottom of the pile in every category that we have looked into.

However, we start with those who deserve credit for their shifts in goal, beginning with save conversion rate, calculating the percentage of saves each Premier League keeper has produced in relation to the number of shots on target that they have faced.

Save Conversion

A look at the keepers with the best percentages when it comes to saves made sees United's two stoppers both make the top 6 as they vie for Alex Ferguson's approval. It is, however, Anders Lindegaard who comes out atop the pile, keeping out 84% (16 / 19) of the shots he has had to deal with in his 7 appearances thus far. City and England's Joe Hart ranks second with 79% (59 / 75), while Fulham's reserve choice David Stockdale, who has impressed in his stint in goal due to Mark Schwarzer's injury, pips Vorm to third.

Conceding Headed Goals

As we looked further into the strengths and weaknesses of certain No. 1s we investigated those who have conceded the fewest headers in relation to those faced that have hit the target. One should note that Lindegaard would again lead the way having not conceded a headed goal thus far, though he has only faced 4 attempts and therefore was overlooked.

It is in fact the aforementioned Mark Schwarzer who comes up trumps here in a bid to prove that he is worthy of retaining his place once recovered from injury. The veteran Aussie has conceded headed goals just twice having faced 11 on target (18%). Swansea's Michel Vorm is again amongst the leaders having conceded just 20% of the headers on target he has been tested by, along with Tim Howard, with Friedel and Reina also among the most successful.
 

Conceding Long Shot Goals

When it comes to conceding the fewest goals from long shots, Villa's sub stopper Brad Guzan is the only man to have played more than 5 times and not concede, but having only faced 7 shots from range he was not analysed. The American has dropped straight back out of the side following Shay Given's return from a groin injury, and conceding a goal from range all season now seems unlikely.

It was instead, City's Joe Hart who came out on top, conceding just 1 goal of 31 long shots faced (3%). The likes of Brad Friedel and Petr Cech followed, with 5%, while Vorm and Reina again made the top 6. David De Gea's inclusion comes as somewhat of a surprise having been the most prone keeper to conceding goals from distance in La Liga. The featuer is clearly something he has worked on since the Community Shield having let in just 7% of the long shots on target he has faced at United.

Special Mention - Michel Vorm

While the likes of Friedel and Hart made their way into two of our leaderboards, and Liverpool's Pepe Reina appeared in all three, few would argue that there has been a better and more consistent keeper this season than Swansea's Michel Vorm. A completely unknown entity to most in the Premier League, the Dutchman has made a terrific impact at the newly promoted club and is a key factor in their impressive start to the season.

It isn't hard to see why Vorm is the top rated goalkeeper according to WhoScored by some distance. An average match rating of 7.16 ranks him 22nd of any player in the entire league having saved 75% of the shots on target he has faced, placing him 4th. Ranking third in terms of the lowest percentage of headed efforts conceded and fifth when it comes to keeping out long shots, it's clear that having faced the fourth most shots in the league (105) and saved the second most (79) - two of which were from the penalty spot - Vorm has it all.

Problems for Paul

A look at the entire list of keeper stats sadly saw one man stand out for very different reasons. Blackburn's Paul Robinson ranked bottom for all three categories having only saved just over half of the shots on target he has faced (52%). The likes of Petr Cech and Woijcech Sczcesny are somewhat more surprising inclusions, with the latter an ever present in the bottom 6 for each category, along with QPR's Paddy Kenny.

When it comes to conceding headers, Robinson has made just 6 saves and conceded a league high of 9 goals (60%). Interestingly, having ranked in the top 6 for the other two categories, Joe Hart finds himself alongside the aforementioned Sczcesny at the wrong end of the table when it comes to keeping out headed attempts, with both young stoppers conceding 4 despite only facing 9 attempts each (44%).

Things don't improve for Robinson when analysing the percentage of shots let in from range. Rovers’ first choice keeper has conceded 4 more goals from long shots than any other player in the league (12) having faced a total of 34 (35% conceded).

Who's Number 1?

There have been a number of battles for a starting berth between the posts in the Premier League this season - most notably at Manchester United - and looking at the stats, Sir Alex Ferguson's choice to bring in Anders Lindegaard ahead of David De Gea seems justified. The Dane has a better record when it comes to overall shots on target saved (84% - 75%) and certainly seems more assured when dealing with crosses and headed attempts, with the young Spaniard conceding 3 of just 8 efforts from headers this season (38%).

In terms of the most evenly split appearances between two goalkeepers at a club, Stoke's Begovic (11) and Sorensen (10) have shared the duties most often. The experienced Denmark international is getting the nod nowadays having saved 69% of the shots on target he has faced to the Bosnian's 67%. With so little between them and an identical record when it comes to letting in headed efforts (33% conceded), Sorensen deserves his place having conceded just 8% of the long shots he has had to deal with compared to Begovic's disappointing figure of 24% (5 / 16).

One thing that is for sure is that a club's trust in their number one can be the difference between relegation and survival, as well as success at the top, so Vorm's displays will be crucial in keeping Swansea in the league, while Robinson will need to improve if he is to do the same at Blackburn.