Back on Stephen’s Day, Liverpool’s Pepe Reina was the fall guy as the Reds were soundly beaten by Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium.
A quick look at the statistical table showed that the Spanish keeper was something of a weak link for the Merseysiders when it came to his saves-to-shot ratio.
But it was his opposite number on that fateful night who stood top of that particular table. Asmir Begovic had the best saves-per-shot ratio in the Premier League at 79.1 per cent.
Unsurprisingly, murmurings over a potential move to Manchester United have been gathering momentum, although that has more to do with the scrutiny over David De Gea’s future rather than any real interest from Alex Ferguson.
But there is one statistic that may explain some of the rumours. While De Gea is seen as weak on crosses, electing to punch balls away rather than catching them, Begovic is the complete opposite.
The former Portsmouth keeper has only punched a cross or shot away twice in 23 games, by far the lowest figure in the Premier League while he has caught 52, with only one keeper - Aston Villa’s Brad Guzan – catching more.
Underrated?
That fact may have something to do with the environment in which he works. Stoke boss Tony Pulis likes his team to play a certain way – physical, direct and uncomplicated – so it is unlikely that he would encourage his goalkeepers to punch balls away when there is an opportunity to catch.
The statistics taken on December 26th were a snapshot in time in a sport where fluctuation of form is a given. So is the 25-year-old the most underrated goalkeeper in the English top flight?
His statistics are not quite as impressive from this side of the New Year. His shots-to-save ratio has dwindled to 70.3 per cent which has pushed him down to around 10th in the rankings. That decline correlates to a drop in form for Stoke who have lost four of their last five matches, also conceding 16 times in their last six – although Begovic was not culpable for the vast majority and was excellent in keeping at Arsenal at bay for much of yesterday's match.
But the recent poor run aside, Begovic does ply his trade behind one of the more negative defences in the league, which is something that can mask the true worth of a goalkeeper.
But below the top six or seven teams, he is one of the most reliable goalkeepers in the Premier League so it will be interesting to see what his status will be when the summer transfer window comes around.
