Arsenal’s season has so far been characterised by underwhelming performances and disappointment.
Mikel Arteta’s arrival at the Gunners in December changed that to some extent, but still sitting in 9th means that the Spanish manager will have a number of obstacles to tackle when play resumes.
At the top of that list is defensive issues that have been left unresolved for a number of years now. The rate at which Arsenal have allowed the opposition to shoot this season has been a concerning trend that Arteta will be eager to put right.
Goalkeeper Bernd Leno has faced a total of 147 shots in the Premier League this season - only Martin Dubravka (157), Tim Krul (151) and Aaron Ramsdale (149) have faced more than the German in the position.
Such a tendency to leak shots over the course of the season has left many supporters questioning the defensive capabilities of Arteta’s side. Issues in central defence and defensive midfield positions is a key reason for fragility throughout the team and it is in desperate need of change.
The search for adequate players in both of those roles has loomed over the clubs for some time now and it limits any chance of the club reaching the top four.
However, despite such an unstable defensive structure, the performances of Leno between the sticks deserve notable recognition.
A key way of evaluating a goalkeeper’s performance level is hard to illustrate through goals conceded or save percentages. Neither metric gives a fair picture of how a goalkeeper is performing relative to the defensive outfit in front of them.
For example, save percentage only takes into account the number of shots faced in relation to goals conceded. Such a metric doesn’t provide insight into the type of shots a goalkeeper is facing on average.
Two goalkeepers may have a save percentage of 80%. But if one is saving 80% of shots faced from six yards out and the other from 30 yards out, it proves to be an invaluable measurement of shot-stopping ability.
Therefore, using Post-Shot Expected Goals (PSxG) can provide a fair illustration of how a goalkeeper is performing compared to the quality of shots they face.
PSxG takes into account the quality of shot a goalkeeper faces after the shot is taken with characteristics such as shot speed and direction accounted for. Therefore, we see a far more accurate representation of a goalkeeper’s shot-stopping ability.
Of all 36 goalkeepers to play in the Premier League this season, only four have a better PSxG margin than Leno’s +6.2. Such a margin between expected goals conceded and his individual performances proves that Leno has been a vital part of Arsenal’s defensive effort this season.
Over six goals saved proves just how well the German has performed for the Gunners this season and reinforces his importance to this Arsenal side. Without his impressive shot-stopping ability, such a high volume of shots faced could’ve led to many more goals conceded.
Leno’s importance to this Arsenal side is relatively understated given the attractive attacking players at Arsenal’s disposal. But it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he has been a crucial figure this year.
Only 6 points separating Arsenal in 9th to Southampton in 14th goes some way to illustrating how important Leno’s performances between the sticks have been since August.
