I read in this piece on The Tomkins Times that Pepe Reina saved 69% of the shots he faced in the Premier League this season, which happened to be the average percentage figure for all the ‘keepers who made at least ten appearances in 2011/12.
Pepe Reina? An average goalkeeper? Whilst that initially seemed surprising to me, thinking back it’s clear that he didn’t seem at his best last season, and indeed he hasn’t since Rafa Benitez left Anfield in the summer of 2010.
I have previously looked at Reina’s form as part of other articles (here and here), but I thought it would be interesting to assess his statistics now that his seventh season on Merseyside has concluded. Below is a table showing the trend of his Premier League save percentage across his time at Liverpool:
It’s interesting to note that Reina has never performed as well as he did when he first arrived in England; logic would dictate that it might take time for a 23-year-old Spaniard to adapt to the hustle and the bustle of the Premier League, but that wasn’t the case whatsoever.
Perhaps of greater interest, and concern, is the very apparent downward trend to the graph as time has passed. Of course, it’s hugely important to consider the calibre of teammate he has had in front of him (starting with Hyypia and Carragher at their peak in 2005, who would surely have given away fewer clear-cut chances than the more recent Liverpool sides have) as well as the changes in managers, and therefore tactics, that have occurred over the past two years.
Here are the figures by manager; whilst the above graph makes it fairly clear how this one will look, it certainly emphasises the massive differences between the three men Reina has served under:
The top keeper in the Premier League this season, in save percentage terms, was David de Gea, who stopped 78% of the shots he faced. Coincidentally, that is the same figure as Reina has averaged across his whole Liverpool career.
Disappointingly for the Reds, had Reina merely saved his previous average save percentage figure this season, then he’d only have conceded 24 goals instead of 35; Pepe’s average under Benitez would have seen a further three goals prevented on top of that.
Considering that Liverpool lost fourteen games, and drew six matches where they conceded last season, even an average performance by Pepe would surely have brought the Reds far closer to the top four than the seventeen points adrift they ultimately finished.
Whilst Rafa was in charge, Liverpool had two goalkeeping coaches; Jose Ochotorena from 2004 to 2007, and then Xavi Valero until Benitez was dismissed in 2010. How has Reina’s form varied under his differing coaches at Anfield?
Top of the tree is Jose Ochotorena, and comfortably so. In his recent autobiography, Reina was fulsome in his praise of his fellow Spaniard:
“I have worked with some great coaches, but the one who is the absolute master is Ochotorena. He knows me better than anyone else, understands everything about my strengths and weaknesses, and working with him has been one of the greatest experiences of my career. Ocho is the one who knows me better than anyone else and the one who can bring the very best out of me…(Ocho) is the best goalkeeping coach on the planet“.
Whilst it is often tempting to take any such praise in a footballer’s autobiography with a pinch of salt, the statistics certainly suggest that Reina is spot on with his assessment of his first goalkeeping coach at Anfield. Pepe has also clearly not been as good since Ochotorena’s departure.
So what does this mean going forward? Could it even be time to wave goodbye to the popular Spaniard and cash in so that the team can be rebuilt?
Certainly his form suggests that it might be, and at thirty years of age in August, this may be the last time Liverpool could extract top dollar from a purchasing club. Also, whilst acknowledging that Doni only had a small sample of games last season, the Brazilian did save 73% of the shots that he faced, showing he could well be a suitable replacement should Reina move on.
That said, the appointment of Brendan Rodgers should ensure Reina recovers his form to some extent, as the Ulsterman will be looking for Pepe to play as a sweeper-keeper, much like he did under Benitez when he displayed his best form.
The deeper defensive line employed by Dalglish, and especially Hodgson, meant that Reina was asked to play within himself and was not able to dominate the backline as he prefers, and that will undoubtedly have had an effect on his form.
Of course, after a topsy-turvy few years at Anfield, Reina may take the decision himself and decide that a change of scene (and no doubt Champions League football on his part) would be best for all concerned.
But Reina is the best Liverpool goalkeeper that I have seen in my lifetime, so I certainly hope he lines up for Liverpool in 2012/13. If the Reds are to finish in the top four though, Pepe’s form will need to be much closer to his level during the Benitez years than it has been recently. Has anyone got Ochotorena’s phone number?
Originally posted on my blog here.
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Categories: EPL Index Featured Article, EPL Index Player Profiles, Liverpool
Tags: epl opta stats, EPL Stats, Goalkeeper Opta Stats, Goalkeeper Stats, Jose Ochotorena, LFC, LFC Opta Stats, LFC Stats, Opta Stats, Pepe Reina, Pepe Reina Opta Stats, Pepe Reina Stats, Reina Opta Stats, Reina stats, Xavi Valero
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Top Blog, with top analysis. Hope Pepe will stay..
Brilliant article – it really shows what good coaching can do for a player. Look at how he performed under Roy Hodgson’s goalkeeping coach? Unbelievable. Once again a great read Andrew.
Thanks guys, appreciate the comments.
Just as a minor addition to the piece, I found out today that Ochotorena is also currently the goalkeeping coach for the Spanish national side, which I hadn’t known previously. The chances of him returning to Anfield appear to have dropped from slim to none unfortunately!
I Know Pepe Reina’s stats do not look great during the recent times… But there is no doubt in my mind about his ability as a great goal keeper. His worst time came with Roy as manager, who brought Mike Kelly as a coach. Pepe clearly did not like the coach at the time who was totally out of touch with modern football. He was openly critical about him at the time.
We must also consider another aspect during this time, that is it came with the decline of liverpool midfield. with like of Xabi Alonso, Mascherano gone and Gerrard playing less and less… there is more and more pressure on our goal… which makes less and less confident about the cover he gets from the team. He shined as a good keeper with great midfield and a solid defence. Now its an average midfield with a suspect defence.
what does it mean that he have only 24 goals intead of 35?
Kane – it’s purely hypothetical, it means that had Reina maintained his average save percentage from previous years, he’d have conceded eleven less goals, based on the number of shots on target he had to face in 2011/12
Of course, it won’t be entirely his fault, as this takes no account of the quality of the shot faced – some give the goalkeepers no chance of saving them, after all. It’s just a simple way of indicating approximately how many goals he should really have conceded.
Oh, I got it. Thanks for a quick reply. Anyway he’ the one who has won the most golden glove in premier league, and everyone knows he’s still one of the best goalkeepr in the premier league…I hope he will be better for the next season!
There’s times when statistics really are XXXXX (edited profanity – please keep it clean) and this is probably one of them.
Liverpool’s lack of bite in midfield showed in the amount of attacks mounted against us by teams large and small (although we generally upped our game against the bigger teams).
Maybe comparing Reina’s stats when playing with an effective midfield (conatining Lucas or Mascherano for instance) would be more useful rather then last season’s leaky sponge.
Last season Reina endured far too many shots from close range as our midfield was non-existent and encouraged teams to get at us. Similar stats would appear under Hodgson.
Rafa’s method of controlling games and pressing higher up the pitch was ideal for one of the best sweeper keepers in the world.
I fully expect to see Reina back at his best under Rodgers, although there may an initial period to regain a comfort zone with the method of play he employs. The return of Lucas will also aid the balance in midfield.
Your point regarding his age is a valid one, however. But comparing Doni – no thanks. A decent backup, but nowhere near Reina’s quality.
Nik – Whilst I agree with your points, I can only use the stats that are available. Such things have come on leaps and bounds in recent times (thanks in part to this excellent site), but I have no way of assessing accurately where the shots he faced were from, how many defenders were in proximity to the attacker and so on – believe me, I’d love to study them if I could!
Why is everyone on peps back?
If stats are to be believed… Then why would anyone want to buy him?
Stats never tell the whole truth unless your a forward in topside playing the minutes and not scoring and not assisting! Then I may take stats seriously!
Pepe is an integral part of our club and has done all he can support the team. Most wanted keepers would have left by now after all the BS that hasn’t at our club in last few years…
As long as he is between the sticks I have hope!
I don’t think anyone is on Pepe Reina’s back. This is an article giving you facts on his performance. What is there to argue about? There’s a trend that Andrew has brilliantly shown. It shows that Pepe Reina requires the correct coaching to find top form – I think Liverpool fans should hope that Brendan Rodgers gets this right in fact Rodgers’ game does suit Pepe Reina’s style of being an outfield player – he can certainly pass a ball.
Interesting article and educational.Ithink if u study all the
the statistics during Benitezs’ time at LFC you’ll find they
are better than almost anyone in the last 20 years.
Brilliant article. Never knew how important a goalkeeping coach was until looking at those stats. Any idea where this Jose Ochotorena guy is at present?
Spanish national side coach!
That explains a lot!! The strength in depth of Spain’s goalkeeping department is ridiculous. Then again, one could say the same thing about the entire Spanish National Team.
Reina is and has always been a top class! If not Casillas, he would be Spain’s #1 any day, but here’s what I think happened last season (11/12) and I find it kinda funny
Our midfield is nothing like what it was 2-3-4-5 years ago, so Reina’s goal not defended as well as it used to.
And now our midfield (after Lucas gone and Gerrard getting less and less games thru injury, and new boys in the midfield don’t have enough experience and skill and togetherness) is average in the prem league and we have to accept that.
One more reason why Pepe Reina became average depends on 2 factors:
1) Our weakness in the midfield
2) Our help in the attack. I mean our strikers made lots and lots of keepers perform their best for whatever reason. When you look at for example Stoke 1 – 0 Liverpool, their keeper Begovich made saves of his carrer, while Reina did a good job, but couldn’t save a penalty which in figures, makes him worse than Begovic (Only in figures)….
So we better score more and more goals and keep the midfield organized to get him to his best form.
There is a reason why he won the Premier league “Golden Glove” 3 times in a row when he came to liverpool (which has never ever been achieved by any other keepers). It shows his talent and class!
YNWA
Quick update – it’s very early days for 2012/13 with only three games played, but at present Reina’s save percentage is just 50%, plus he was clearly at fault for Hearts’ goal in the Europa League.
The decline appears to be continuing…