Basic and Advanced Stat Categories for Our Comparison
We use our beloved fbref.com for stats. If you haven’t already, check out our soccer analytics tutorial for beginners to start working with their data.
If you want help retrieving data for goalkeepers, feel free to contact us and I will provide you with a free guide.
| Category | Description |
| Saves | Saves |
| PSxG | Post-Shot Expected Goals PSxG is expected goals based on how likely the goalkeeper is to save the shot xG totals include penalty kicks, but do not include penalty shootouts (unless otherwise noted). Provided by StatsBomb. |
| Pass.Comp | Passes Completed Passes longer than 40 yards |
| Pass.Att.40yrd | Passes Attempted Passes longer than 40 yards |
| Pass.Att | Passes Attempted Not including goal kicks |
| Throw.Att | Throws Attempted |
| Pass.AvgLen | Average length of passes, in yards Not including goal kicks |
| GoalKick.AvgLen | Average length of goal kicks, in yards |
| Stop.Cross | Number of crosses into penalty area which were successfully stopped by the goalkeeper |
| OPA | # of defensive actions outside of penalty area |
| Save.Perc | Save Percentage (Shots on Target Against – Goals Against)/Shots on Target Against Note that not all shots on target are stopped by the keeper, many will be stopped by defenders |
Using the stats above, we created the table below. To read this, count the number of colored blocks above each position. For example, Croatia’s Dominik Livaković is 1st in two of the above categories, 2nd in two categories, 3rd in one category, and 5th in two categories, etc.
The Best Goalkeeper Stats
What kind of stats would a coach want to see for his goalkeeper? Of course, 0 saves off of 0 shots on target. The better the defense the happier the manager!
But, in a realistic scenario such as this year’s EUROs, keepers must be able to block shots and also play with their feet.
I will not be going into too much detail as I think the graphs speak for themselves.
Below are the top 9 goalkeepers in our stats comparison for the Round of 16.
Belo are the top 3 goalkeepers in our stats comparison from the group stage.
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