Alisson Becker takes on Ederson Moraes in an all Brazilian battle of goalkeepers

Sooraj Kamath - Writer 11:16 14/11/2018
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  • Liverpool’s Alisson Becker and Manchester City’s Ederson Moraes are next up in our goalkeeper comparison series (Marc-Ander ter Stegen v Jan Oblak & Hugo Lloris v David De Gea).

    Ederson was a key part of Manchester City’s successful 2017-18 season and the Brazilian has carried forward his wonderful form to the current season. Alisson was roped in by Liverpool from Roma in the summer and he’s proved to be one of the best signings in the Premier League.

    But how do they compare against each other? We take a look.

    WHAT THE STATS SAY

    Manchester City and Liverpool have both conceded just five goals in the league and have kept five cleansheets in the process. This clearly does not separate the two shot stoppers. The defensive lines in front of these two custodians are of comparative quality too and one can’t argue about a favourable defence ahead of the other player.

    Both the players have featured in all games for their respective clubs and the numbers concerning their shot-stopping abilities are very close.

    Alisson has more saves for every 90 minutes (2.08) when compared to his Manchester City counterpart (1.58). Since both the players have conceded the same number of goals, the former naturally enjoys a better saves per goal ratio too.

    Alisson has been in great form this season

    Alisson has been in great form this season

    Like always, we will take be taking the expected goals against (xGA) parameter to compare the two players on a level ground, based purely on the quality of the chances they have faced.

    The former Roma man comes out on top when the xGA/GA (goals against) ratio is used as a parameter. The higher the ratio, the greater the possibility of the keeper stopping a shot which is most likely going in. Alisson’s xGA/GA ratio of 1.94 comfortably triumphs over Ederson’s (1.5).

    The Frenchman’s saves per goal ratio of 0.71 is more than three times that of the Spaniard (0.22). The quality of the defence influences the quality of the chances the opponents are provided with and the xGA should normalise every factor and provide a common platform to compare the shot-stopping ability of the players.

    There’s no doubt about the shot-stopping qualities of the two players. The expected goals model is volatile and these numbers don’t tell the full story. However, it’s clear that the Liverpool custodian enjoys a marginal victory here.

    SHOT STOPPING RATING:

    Alisson: 8.5/10

    Ederson: 8/10

    DISTRIBUTION

    A ball-playing keeper was a luxury at the turn of the decade but has turned into a norm now. With many teams opting to build from the back, Johan Cruyff’s thoughts about the goalkeeper being the first attacker is now truer than ever.

    Ederson’s distribution skills sets him apart from the rest of the keepers in not only the Premier League but rest of Europe too.

    The City stopper’s passing accuracy of 82.7 percent give him the edge over Alisson (79.4 percent). One might argue Alisson attempts more passes and is bound to have a lower accuracy. However, the former is more accurate with his goalkicks and has a higher throw-out success rate as well.

    When City are pressed, Ederson’s ability to find the space between midfield lines has helped them tremendously. The Brazilian also has an assist to his name this season after his long ball forward found Sergio Aguero in space who did well to slot it past the Huddersfield Ben Hamer.

    Of course, Alisson is good with his feet also but there’s no shame in losing out to one of the best distributors in Europe.

    DISTRIBUTION RATING: 

    Alisson: 8.5/10

    Ederson: 9.5/10

    COMPOSURE

    Both Brazilians are fairly composed and at the same time aggressive. Edesrson comes off his line quite frequently to ward off danger which arises due to City’s high line.

    City’s opening game this season came against a rejuvenated Arsenal at the Emirates. Ederson was on top of his game and kept the Gunners at bay. He’s also stepped up in big games in the past such as the first Manchester Derby last season where he was absolutely phenomenal and probably the best player on the pitch in City’s 2-1 victory at Old Trafford.

    Ederson

    Ederson

    However, Ederson can be caught off his line at times and forced to take one for the team and concede a penalty. He’s conceded a penalty in each of his last two games, against Manchester United and Southampton. The 25-year-old was off his line on both occasions and made a last ditch attempt to sweep the ball away from the feet of the striker.

    Alisson grabbed the spotlight after a tremendous performance with Roma against Barcelona in the Italian side’s 3-0 comeback win against the Catalan giants. This and his performances in the Serie A earned him a big-money move to Merseyside.

    Although the Brazil No1 has delivered when required, he hasn’t particularly been tested as much in the Premier League yet. Like his City counterpart, Alisson is vulnerable to mistakes with the ball at his feet in compromising positions on the field.

    One could point out to the fixture against Leicester city when Alisson took the ball close to the sideline and tried shielding it only to lose the ball to Kelechi Iheanacho who started the move which led to a goal.

    There’s not enough sample space to comment on his composure as his journey in the Premier League has only just begun. But from what we’ve seen so far, Alisson is at par with the City custodian.

    COMPOSURE RATING

    Alisson: 7.5/10

    Ederson: 7.5/10

    VERDICT

    Both the Brazilians are similar in their traits and are up there with the top of the bunch. Brazil boss Tite will face some selection dilemma, given how competent the two goalkeeprs are.

    With Manchester City and Liverpool fighting it out in a neck-to-neck scenario in the league, the shot-stoppers will be extremely crucial in determining the outcome of the league.

    Ederson (25/30) edges Alisson (24.5/30) in our comparison but like always, these numbers are for reference and not inference.

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