The Manchester City goalkeeper faced four shots on target against Everton and saved none of them, but his poor record is part of a general decline in standards

Manchester City were the third team to lose 4-0 in the Premier League this weekend but the result was particularly embarrassing for Claudio Bravo. While Swansea City goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski made four saves and was unfortunate to be beaten by two deflected goals against Arsenal and Ben Foster made a commendable eight saves at White Hart Lane against an utterly dominant Tottenham team, Bravo failed to produce a single stop against Everton. He faced four shots on target and conceded four goals. It was yet another afternoon to forget for a goalkeeper who has had enough time to adjust to the Premier League but has simply failed to do so.

The City defence should shoulder a large amount of the blame – and they have done so, no more so than John Stones – but Bravo has not instilled any confidence in his team-mates and Pep Guardiola’s attempts to switch to a ball-playing goalkeeper have not worked.

Before comparing individual performances, it’s worst noting that the save success rate in the Premier League this season (goals conceded/shots on target faced) is at its lowest since we obtained Opta stats for the 2009-10 season. Goalkeepers have faced 1,800 shots on target and made 1,190 saves, meaning the save success rate has dropped below two thirds (66.1%) for the first time in those eight seasons. The percentage has fallen year on year in the last four campaigns, and from 70% in 2009-10, but who have been the guiltiest culprits for this season’s decline?

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It may be a surprise to learn that Bravo isn’t at the bottom of the pile, though his meagre save success of 55.4% is way below the league average. He’s produced just 31 saves from the 56 shots on target he has faced, with his success rate way down on predecessor Joe Hart’s figure both this season with Torino (67.5%) and in six seasons at Manchester City (71.8%).

Bravo’s save success rate is the fourth worst of any Premier League goalkeeper to make at least 10 appearances in a season since 2009-10, though it’s still not the lowest in the current campaign. That unwanted statistic belongs to Fraser Forster, who has faced significantly less criticism this season despite failing to live up to his heroics of the previous campaign.

The England international achieved the third highest save success rate of the regular keepers in the league last season (73.9%) – with Petr Cech leading the way – but that number has dropped substantially to just 54.8% this time around. That’s not only the lowest in the league this season but also the worst since Chris Kirkland in 2009-10 (54.6%). Despite starting every league game this season, Forster has made just 34 saves from a modest 62 shots on target, owing much to a strong defence in front of him.

Indicative of the slipping standards in goalkeepers, of the 10 worst save success rates in the last eight seasons, half are from the current campaign. Joining Bravo and Forster as the guiltiest culprits this season are Heurelho Gomes at Watford (56%), Wayne Hennessey at Crystal Palace and Maarten Stekelenburg at Everton (both 57.6%).



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At the opposite end of the spectrum this season is Ben Foster, who tops the pile with 75.7%, though that too is the lowest rate of any keeper to lead the way in any of the last eight campaigns. Tom Heaton (75.6%), Lee Grant (71.6%) and Jordan Pickford (71.6%) help compile a top six consisting of four Englishman.

Guardiola has stood by his No1 this season but Bravo’s struggles have clearly left City at a disadvantage. The other keepers in the top six clubs all boast above average save success rates, with Cech top of the elite this season with 74%. Bravo is not City’s only problem but if they had a keeper of Cech’s quality – whose save success has only dropped below 72% once in the last eight seasons – the current 10-point gap between City and Chelsea would be significantly smaller. Conceding four goals without making a save was humiliating but at least Bravo can take comfort from the fact that his issues are systematic of a league-wide dip in save success.

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