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!
He’s shown class shot stopping, shot preventing & distributing skills & been excellent in 1v1 situations!
#Martinez has saved 11 1v1s this year & my model predicts an avg PL GK would‘ve only managed to save ~8 of them!
I don’t think it is unsustainable form either, especially when talking about 1v1s, because my model shows his excellent decision making is regularly making the saves easier for him!
His Post Decision Ex1v1 Saves is 1.42 saves higher than his Pre Decision Ex1v1 Saves!
Research has shown the optimum GK position for none 1v1 long range shots is roughly 1.5-2yrd off the line
Once a GK starts positioning themselves further out than this the reduced goal area they have to cover doesn’t outweigh the loss of reaction time hence goals like this occur
In this situation though #Watkins’ finish is actually a poor one as he smashes it down the centre, so #Alisson could’ve got away with his poor positioning but he compounded his first mistake by going with his hand rather than his foot!
His habit of rushing out & engaging during long range 1v1s consistently costs goals!
He needs to back pedal into his 6yrd box & force a proper finish
By rushing here he allows a central sidefoot (the easiest finish) in!
My 1v1 model shows that in this situation if a GK back pedals into their 6yrd box they will save this 1v1 91% of the time!
Whereas if they engage & spread as #Ederson did here they will only make the save 48% of the time!
His decision making made a simple save into a hard one!
Also in this situation it should be noted that #Dallas cannot dribble closer to goal due to the immense defensive pressure on him however even if he could dribble closer #Ederson should still wait & lure him in as engaging 1v1s gets more successful the closer the CF is to goal!
Here’s a nice example of neutral set positions making saves easier
I’ve already discussed #Henderson’s propensity to set quite low this season & here even though he’s taller than #Pickford he tips an almost identical shot into the roof of the net while #Pickford catches it
Another key detail from this clip is how #Pickford moves back to his line while #Henderson moves forwards.
This tiny difference in distance thus reaction time can impact on a GKs ability to make the save as it can be the difference between getting 2 hands to the ball & 1 hand.
In this clip #Pickford & #Henderson also make lots of saves with their feet when the service is lower & #Henderson actually struggles with these too as his lower set position means he needs to get his hands out of the way so it doesn’t even give him an advantage for low shots
For more information on the metrics I quote in the graphics above please see this thread, it explains how I calculate which cross claims prevent chances & which don’t & how I assign ExG values to each claim & why it’s important to look deeper than “total high balls claimed”!
Surely any ball with a trajectory such that it would be a goal without a GKs intervention must be a shot on target & a save or at least a save & a “cross on target” if for some reason you want to make two separate categories to distinguish the two.