Monday 16 January 2017 10:28, UK
Pep Guardiola’s analysis of Manchester City’s 4-0 defeat at Everton raised questions about Claudio Bravo’s shot-stopping. He may have been signed for his passing ability but the goalkeeper’s glovework is proving to be a cause for concern…
Pep Guardiola made it clear early on in his Manchester City reign that he was going to do things his own way by ousting the club’s popular England No1 Joe Hart and signing £17.1m Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo as his replacement.
It was a controversial call but, after criticising Hart’s footwork, Guardiola emphasised the Chilean’s ability to pass the ball with precision and accuracy and the importance that would have in terms of how he wanted City to build from the back.
But while Bravo ranks second in the Premier League for passing accuracy, his shot-stopping – or lack of – has become a major cause for concern.
Guardiola raised eyebrows with his emphatic defence of his new ‘keeper after September’s Manchester derby, when Bravo had clearly been at fault for Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s goal and fortunate not to give away a penalty for a lunge on Wayne Rooney, but the issues over his glovework have not gone away.
No ‘keeper has dropped the ball more times this season (three). Bravo has also conceded 42.6 per cent of the shots on target he’s faced in the Premier League so far this season – a remarkably high number.
Only Swansea City’s Lukasz Fabianski and Southampton’s Fraser Forster have conceded a greater percentage, while Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris (26 per cent), Arsenal’s Petr Cech (28.2) and Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois (28.8) are beaten far less frequently.
Even Liverpool’s much-maligned duo Simon Mignolet (35.3) and Loris Karius (38.2) have proved to be better shot stoppers.
Bravo was again exposed at Goodison Park. Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher said he “had to save” Romelu Lukaku’s opener, while teenagers Tom Davies and Ademola Lookman both found a way past the goalkeeper from tight angles.
Everton scored all four of their shots on target, extending Bravo’s recent record to an alarming 14 goals conceded from the last 22 shots on target he’s faced in the Premier League.
With Hart out on loan at Torino and reserve Willy Caballero so far restricted to EFL Cup and FA Cup appearances, alternatives are limited. But there needs to be an improvement.
While Guardiola did not criticise Bravo after the Everton game, he alluded to a recurring problem for his side – failing to take their chances and then being punished for their own lapses at the back.
“We made a good performance in the first half and we created enough chances to score a goal,” he told Sky Sports. “They arrive once and they score a goal. And in the second half they score a second goal. And that is so tough mentally for the players.
We created enough chances to score a goal. They arrive once and they score a goal. That is so tough mentally for the players.
“I think it started in the Everton game at home when we missed two penalties. After that it was many, many games where we created the chances but we do not score and when they arrive they punish us and after that it’s tough for the players.
“In football, you sometimes don't need to do many things to score. It is not today, it is almost all the season and it is tough for the players to handle that situation.”
The stats reflect Guardiola’s perception. On average this season City score one goal for every 2.8 shots they have on target – but they concede a goal for every 2.5 shots on target they face.
Those numbers hardly paint a picture of clinical finishing from City but they are particularly unfavourable for the team’s last line of defence, Bravo.
City rank seventh in the Premier League for goals per shots on target. They are way down in 18th for goals conceded per shots on target faced.
Guardiola’s determination to replace Hart with his own man was his prerogative. But the inevitable headlines and debate which surrounded the move meant Bravo's performances would always be closely scrutinised. And right now, he's not producing the displays required to win over those critics.
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