We take a look at the best goalkeepers in the Premier League since the turn of the year, and see where the Gunners’ Colombian stopper ranks.
Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina has enjoyed a strong start to his Gunners career, but how does his Premier League stats compare to the other stoppers in the division.
Ospina of course has an unprecedented winning ratio in the league, having won eleven of the thirteen games he has played in England’s top flight.
The Colombian has conceded the same number of goals as he has recorded clean sheets, seven, but this hasn’t stopped Arsenal being linked with out of favour Chelsea stopper Petr Cech in the summer, with the Mirror just one of the publications linking the Gunners to the Czech stopper.
Cech is widely thought of as one of the greatest ever Premier League goalkeepers, but at 32-years-old, has been benched in favour of Thibaut Courtois for the Blues.
Arsene Wenger nevertheless assured the listening press in Arsenal’s pre-match press conference that he is not interested in pursuing any alternatives between the sticks.
“I believe in the goalkeepers I have,” the Arsenal manager is quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
“I believe that Wojciech Szczesny is a very good goalkeeper and David Ospina has come in and done a fantastic job.
“You look at the numbers in the Premier League and who is top of all the goalkeepers and you will see it is Ospina.”
But is the Frenchman right? Below are some of the league’s top goalkeepers, both considering the top sides in the division and some that posted the strongest stats.
| Position | Team | Saves | Good High Claim | Saved Inside box | Saved Outside box | Goal Kick Accuracy | Throwing Accuracy | Clean Sheets | Accurate Sweeper Keeper | Apps | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Costel Pantilimon | GK | Sunderland | 59 | 30 | 31 | 27 | 51.6% | 98.3% | 3 | 75% | 14 | 1260 |
| Adrián | GK | West Ham | 53 | 19 | 39 | 14 | 37.7% | 98.3% | 3 | 100% | 15 | 1321 |
| Lukasz Fabianski | GK | Swansea | 52 | 35 | 27 | 25 | 46.6% | 96.1% | 3 | 90% | 15 | 1350 |
| Robert Green | GK | QPR | 51 | 23 | 31 | 20 | 47.1% | 96.7% | 2 | 87.5% | 15 | 1350 |
| Hugo Lloris | GK | Tottenham | 35 | 14 | 31 | 4 | 67.9% | 97.8% | 1 | 85.71% | 12 | 994 |
| David Ospina | GK | Arsenal | 35 | 36 | 22 | 12 | 62.2% | 100% | 7 | 77.77% | 13 | 1170 |
| Thibaut Courtois | GK | Chelsea | 34 | 27 | 23 | 11 | 47.2% | 100% | 4 | 100% | 11 | 990 |
| David de Gea | GK | Man Utd | 29 | 12 | 17 | 11 | 59.3% | 100% | 4 | 92.31% | 15 | 1350 |
| Simon Mignolet | GK | Liverpool | 39 | 17 | 23 | 16 | 56.1% | 98.8% | 9 | 93.75% | 15 | 1350 |
Certainly, Ospina has impressed in his 13 appearances, and of those that have played 10 games or more since the start of the 2015, he has the second fewest goals conceded and the second most clean sheets.
But looking more closely at his goalkeeping data shows that the 26-year-old has made more saves than any other goalkeeper in the top five teams. He has also successfully claimed more crosses than any other ‘keeper in the league.
Ospina’s distribution is also top notch, with flawless distribution with his throwing and a kicking accuracy that is second only to Hugo Lloris.
One area the Gunners goalkeeper could improve on is coming off his line, with a fairly low accuracy of winning possession once he leaves his goal line.
However, it appears that Ospina is certainly doing well in most other categories, and considering that he is still relatively young for a ‘keeper, perhaps Wenger is right to be happy with the former Nice man.
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