Here I will compare #Henderson’s cross claiming & sweeping (the two branches of shot prevention) so far this year to #DeGea’s & discuss how this has affected #ManchesterUnited’s defence.
I will use my shot prevention model as sadly mainstream models miss many important actions!
Sweeping:
#Henderson’s sweeping has been highlighted after his tidy display vs #THFC & it wasn’t a one off!
So far this year for #ManchesterUnited he has prevented 11 opposition chances occurring by sweeping which corresponds to preventing 0.15 ExG/90 (#PL avg is 0.10 ExG/90)
#DeGea’s sweeping has been criticised but actually he’s been far more active than last year but indeed he’s still sweeping at a below avg rate!
#DeGea has prevented 14 opposition chances occurring by sweeping which corresponds to preventing 0.07 ExG/90 (#PL avg is 0.10 ExG/90)
1. #Henderson sweeps more often & further from goal & this has so far prevented an additional 0.08 ExG per game (ie saves #MUFC 1 additional goal every 12 games)
2. #DeGea retains possession more often as he seldom chooses to clears the ball
Claiming:
Many have noted how active #Henderson is when it comes to claiming & so far this year for #ManchesterUnited he has prevented 12 opposition chances occurring by claiming crosses which corresponds to preventing 0.29 ExG/90 which is well above the #PL avg of 0.20 ExG/90!
#DeGea’s claiming has been criticised again this year which is a little unfair.
#DeGea has prevented 18 opposition chances occurring by claiming crosses which corresponds to preventing 0.15 ExG/90 which is below the #PL avg of 0.20 ExG/90 but is hardly disastrous.
1. #Henderson claims more often & further from goal & this has prevented an additional 0.14 ExG per game (ie saves #MUFC 1 additional goal every 7 games)
2. #DeGea is tidier & catches more often but this is cos he comes for “easier” crosses.
Conclusion:
#Henderson’s prevention is above avg while #DeGea’s prevention is below avg
#Henderson’s claiming+sweeping has prevented #MUFC conceding an extra 0.22 ExG/90 vs #DeGea
#DeGea is tidier when he claims+sweeps but this doesnt outweigh the fact he is far less active
The fact #Henderson sweeps further from goal & claims crosses further from goal than #DeGea is a big plus for #ManchesterUnited’s defence as it means they can play higher & concentrate on defending a smaller area safe in the knowledge that #Henderson will come out if needed!
That’s the thread!
As always feel free to ask any questions!
I have attached my thread which outlines how my shot prevention model works below so please read that before asking questions about the model as they are likely answered there!
Here is a thread I wrote last year about how #Henderson was a superior preventer to #DeGea & how that could be vitally important when it came to Ole deciding who was first choice!
It’s fun to see that he’s managed to reproduce his #SUFC numbers at #MUFC!
Has #Ederson turned a corner regarding his issues with long range 1v1s?
Yesterday he positioned himself perfectly inside his 6yrd box during this long range 1v1 thus allowing his defender to pressure the ball while maximising the finish difficulty for the striker!
#SOUMCI #MCFC
#Ederson highlighted how waiting deep is not a passive strategy!
As GKs should only wait deep until the CF gets close enough that the GK will not have enough reaction time to make a save, which is what #Ederson did as he rushed & smothered once the CF was within 14yrd of goal!
#Ederson has had huge problems with 1v1 situations like these in the past as he has rushed out too soon & found himself at the PK spot (rather than the 6yrd box) which gifts the opposition CF simpler finishes like chips & sidefoots while also not allowing his CBs to get back!
If #DeGea had rushed out to engage this touch he would’ve turned a 38% goal probability chance into a 61% goal probability chance as MA could’ve easily rounded him or chipped him!
By waiting he dictated the 1v1 to MA & made him make a decision, MA chose to take another touch…
Rather than continuing to stay deep #DeGea realised that now MA was close enough that his reaction time may not be enough to save the shot so he rushed & formed the premeditated block barrier reducing the goal probability to 34%!
#Karius made 8 saves vs #MUFC, but GKing is about quality not quantity!
5 of the saves had xSave>99% thus #PremierLeague GKs save them every time!
The 2 interesting & difficult saves were the 1v1 vs #Bruno & #Weghorst’s long range shot! Which beat #PL GKs 41% & 29% of the time!
It was these saves whose difficulty outweighed the 2 goals #Karius conceded meaning #Karius saved an above expected amount of shots in the #LeagueCupFinal
#Karius could do nothing with the #Casemiro goal (xSave probability<5%) but the #Rashford goal was a little more interesting
#DeGea made the save look easy & made the save far easier for himself due to his top class decision to hold deep & then use his top hand. This made a difficult situation comfortable!
The GK xG model shown above looks at every shot faced, pass received, cross faced & through ball faced & calculates the probability of a goal occurring for & against the GK’s team before the event & after the event occurs!
Thus it measures & evaluates every action a GKs makes!
This allows all GKs to be given a single number measured in goals called
“Total Value in Goals”
Which describes the GK’s value to their side vs having a league average GK & takes into account everything they do meaning GKs of vastly different styles can be fairly compared!
When receiving the ball under pressure, both #Chelsea GKs have been below the #PremierLeague standard!
#Mendy has cost #CFC 0.52 xG more than the avg #PL GK would be expected to if they received the ball in the same situations (this is heavily influenced by his mistake vs Leeds)
Similarly #Kepa has cost #CFC 0.59 xG more than the avg #PL GK would be expected to if they received the ball in the same situations as he did in his last 15 #PremierLeague games, #Kepa’s numbers here are heavily influenced by his mistake vs #Liverpool which #Mane capitalised on!