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Anders Lindegaard Leads League in Save Percentage

Despite struggling to overtake David de Gea as Manchester United’s outright first choice goalkeeper, Anders Lindegaard has the highest save percentage in the Premier League through 20 games.

The Dane, who caught people’s attention when he kept 5 clean sheets in his first 5 Premier League starts has saved 84.28% of shots he’s faced this season.

In comparison, David de Gea has saved 76.71%. Both Manchester United goalkeepers are well-above the league average 69.47%.

David de Gea has only conceded 2 goals outside the penalty area in the league this season. Arsenal’s Wojciech Szczesny has conceded 6 from 18+ yards, form Manchester United goalkeeper Tim Howard has conceded 4, and Blackburn’s Paul Robinson leads the league having conceded 12 from long range already this season.

Anders Lindegaard averages a goal conceded every 2 games (180 minutes). The next nearest to him in that category is Liverpool’s Jose Reina who concedes a goal on average every 100 minutes in the Premier League.

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55 Comments

  1. Danizizu says:

    where does that leave him?
    De Gea is still my pick

  2. kanchelskis says:

    Interesting…

    Stats only tell half the story though. Those 5 clean sheets were against easy opposition, and the first decent team he played hit 3 past him (ironically none of them his fault).

    Also shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that DDG has made some remarkable match-saving saves during his time between the sticks.

    Put simply, Lindegaard is currently the better keeper, but once DDG sorts out his confidence and his judgement on coming for crosses, he’ll be the better keeper.

    The questions are: how long with that take? And how much of that time will Fergie risk having him in goal?

  3. rat1p says:

    off topic but i thought its quite interesting
    http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/12012012/58/dugout-sir-alex-ferguson-names-law-hero.html

    in my opinion its not good for any of the two(de gea,linde) to keep rotating that way, stick with one and for me that has to be de gea even if he makes a mistake from time to time. de gea will be our future keeper and he has so much potential to develop into a world class keeper. but to achieve that goal he has to bulk up quikly cause he looks like a skinny 14 year old. de gea has to knock out an opponent when delivering a straight to the head like we saw against blackburn.

  4. samuel - united WE stand says:

    Fergie splashed 20 mill on him for his potential and ability despite his inexperience and age, i’m pretty sure he was planning on being patient with him.

    I personally don’t think lindegaard is any better, he gives an impression of a confident guy which comes with experience so that’s clearly made it easier to blend into the club, the clean sheets he accumulated were a myth, he was challenged in the past few games and didn’t pass at all, still a good keeper though but In time and with experience/ adaptation to the premier league, then de gea will get better.

    I hope the goalkeeping coaches are working tirelessly to help improve his game.

  5. kanchelskis says:

    @samuel

    That save from Aguero in the first half at Wastelands was pretty special…

  6. parryheid says:

    rat1p.

    Even if he makes a mistake now and then?Like the one he made against Blackburn Rovers at a cost of three points.Nah the chart says Lindegaard is tops I would stick with that unless it changes.

  7. kanchelskis says:

    …but I suppose a top keeper would’ve held Augero’s shot in the second half and not given us such a nervy ending.

  8. kanchelskis says:

    @parryheid

    Not to be too picky… but it was at a cost of two points, not three.

  9. smartalex says:

    He’s a keeper!

  10. KingEric says:

    @kanchelskis

    It either cost us 1 or 3, not 2 ;) I say 3 – if we didn’t concede that stupid corner we go on and win that match.

    I think Lindegaard is the better keeper at the moment and should be played in the big games (he made some good saves against Benfica) until DDG gets some confidence under him.

  11. parryheid says:

    kanchelskis.

    Point taken.(not a pun)

  12. smartalex says:

    ex TOAT on manutd .com:

    John Cofie, 18, has joined Royal Antwerp in Belgium on loan until 30 June

  13. StatesideAussie says:

    I suspect it’s too premature to draw any conclusions statistically, though it’s nice that both keepers show up well versus the others, after they have both been so maligned in the press. I think AL is a bit more commanding in the box, possibly because of his greater size and age. DDG needs to learn to impose himself more, especially against aerial play (something he admits he was less used to in Spanish football).

    It’s interesting to see DDG’s record against long shots from outside the box: only 2 conceded. I think both those came early in the season and at the time, if you read the press, it was a major, major flaw in his keeping. But both DDG and SAF said it was a technical issue that they had identified and could solve, and the record appears to indicate they have done exactly that.

    What doesn’t show up in these states (obviously) is ball distribution. Sure, you want a great shot-stopper. But distribution became an essential element of our game under VDS, who was superb. I think DDG is clearly ahead of AL in this regard.

    Also, let’s not forget that both keepers are new to the club and, to make matters worse, have had to play behind a “revolving door” of defence personnel due to our terrible run of injuries.

  14. Robbo says:

    Kanchelskis

    He might have played against easier opposition but the chances are that we also played a weaker team. So maybe we should look at who was in our defence and midfield.

    If you are in goals and you have Vidic and Rio at CB and Carrick in DMF you are probably going to have an easier day than if Evans and Jones/Carrick (No disrespect to these players) at CB and Raphael in DMF.

  15. kanchelskis says:

    @Robbo

    Erm… the match where we played Carrick at CB and Rafael in midfield… DDG was in goal.

  16. 0161-Jon says:

    I wanted Anders to be our number one before we signed David. He is a much stronger presence and for me should be our number one at least until David gains a bit of weight and presence in his area.

  17. iced earth says:

    hello,lindy save against city was first class but his overall performence was poor,he can t be our number 1,de gea is the man,don t forget he is only 21,and his first season in england,last time i saw real vs malaga in cupa del rey (first leg)cassilas made many mistake,and mala goal came after the mistake de gea made aginst blakburn,cesh,j cesare even vds made mistake,in 2 to3 years de gea will be the best,he need to adept to physical style of play in england,and learn english,shurg off the pression on him,de gea along wellbek,smaling,jones,maybe cleverly,are the confirmed future of united

  18. samuel - united WE stand says:

    Kanchelskis – it was a superb save but he looked shaky for majority of the game.

    Fumbling a shot back into the danger zone is just a no no for any top class goal keeper even though his team mates played their part in the error.

    He flapped and fumbled another free kick into the same area but this time, smalling was there to hack clear.

    After shipping in 5goals in two games, i can’t help feeling his confident impression is slightly dented. Still a good keeper nonetheless and still needs to improve some aspects of his game which again i hope the coaches are helping him to do.

  19. Robbo says:

    Kanchelskis

    Wasnt disagreeing with your initial post, just generalizing re our ever changing defence. Just had a feeling that we normally play our strongest team against the better opposition and also DDG usually plays in those games.

  20. Once a Devil always a Red Devil says:

    10 combinations used in midfield till now in PL. You can find the detail stats:

    http://www.eplindex.com/8297/man-utds-midfield-stats-analysis.html

    Personally I think De gea is much better @ the moment, not to forget he was calm in hostile Anfield and made some pretty good saves. I think SAF bought AL from a unknown league so that he doesn’t have pressure to play him all the time. (Like city bought a decent No 2). To be fair with AL he has proved his worth but he should be No 2 IMO.

  21. CedarsDevil says:

    StatesideAussie

    Fully agreed on your comment regarding distribution, DDG seems extremely comfortable with both feet and has an excellent pass on him. Even the great Dane used to make me nervous when the ball was played back to him, his kicking was average unlike his distribution with his hands of course.

    Either way I feel comfortable with our goal keeping situation at the moment, both seem to have the right pedigree but I do see DDG as the eventual number 1 and on a consistent basis

  22. bobbycharlie1968 says:

    For me De Gea has to be number one. He’s shown more ability in my opinion but like many of you I agree he has some sort of confidence issue. I don’t think it’s anything beyond language barrier and adjusting to the country and league. And with that said it seems like he is adjusting fairly quickly. By next season I’ll reckon he’ll be our undisputed Numero Uno. In other news I’m seriously concerned about Ravel. I know it’s probably been covered by enough people already but I just can’t understand/don’t understand what is going on. He’s in a lot of the papers this morning, including broadsheets, which is making me think that something has happened. There’s no smoke without fire and it seems to me that some new development has occurred. It really saddens me though to see a player waste their talent like that. I’m 19 and would pay to play for my beloved Reds, yet Morrison seems to not give much of a shit and is more focused on being a gangster. It’s a no brainer really isn’t it? Be respected and revered as a talented footballer for the rest of your life and never have to worry about money again, or be a gangster who is either going to end up dead or in incarceration. Either that or he will not have improved his life whatsoever and wasted a golden opportunity. He doesn’t even need to think about it, just look at Giggsy and Scholesy. Legends who worked hard and made it, and they are widely respected and revered in society. Why on earth would someone choose “street cred” over that? I can understand certain people getting entrenched in gang culture, but not people with such a bright future ahead of them. I was raised on an estate for half my life and I recently acquired a pay rise to a 6 figure salary. Ravel must surely realise that the world is at his feet. I’ve always believed in him, even if I’ve been annoyed at him. But he really needs to step up, keep his head down and work hard now. Sad as I am to say, maybe he needs to get away from Manchester, remove him from the bad influences and maybe he’d learn responsibility. Whatever happens, I hope it happens soon because we can’t let the lad generate this negative press, it’s unfair on him and the club.

  23. LUHG says:

    Lindergaard my 1st pick, i wanted him before we took de gea, spanish goalkeepers are not good, except casillas.

  24. Cadelin says:

    Off topic but is anyone else surprised that the papers are reporting that Gerrard will be a club ambassador for the dippers like Sir Bobby when he stops playing ?
    Likening that night club brawling thug to our own Sir Bobby is an insult.
    Perhaps they should offer Suarez the job of cultural attache !!

  25. samuel - united WE stand says:

    Anyone would think de gea is anorexic with the way people bang on about weight on here.

    He’s a spanish guy that’s probably had an upbringing of eating healthy, doubt he’ll stick into manchester’s finest cuisine of fish and greasy chips.

    He needs to get stronger yes but that will come gradually and don’t expect him to turn into a body builder, he’s a goal-keeper that needs maneuverability/Flexibility more than looking like the incredible hulk.

    I’m sure the coaches are looking to improve his adaptation to a physical league.

  26. Robbo says:

    Once we get the defence sorted after injuries and hopefully the the MF I think the keeping situation will take care of it self. I am actually both comfortable and nervous with either DDG or AL.

  27. smartalex says:

    ex BBC

    Everton have completed the signing of midfielder Darron Gibson from Manchester United on a four and a half year deal for an undisclosed fee.

  28. kanchelskis says:

    Gibson deal done.

    Best of luck to the lad.

    I’m dreaming of a Gibbo 30-yard screamer winning a Merseyside derby.

  29. smartalex says:

    Midfielder Darron Gibson has signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with Everton for an undisclosed fee.

    Everybody at Manchester United wishes Gibson all the best for the future. He will wear the no.4 shirt at Goodison Park.
    http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Football-News/2012/Jan/darron-gibson-leaves-manchester-united-to-join-everton.aspx

    Good Luck Darren!

  30. samuel - united WE stand says:

    Yeah valdes is no good, that must be why Barca look so strong at the back, because spanish goal-keepers are all obviously poor and the english are blessed with wonderful ones who never make regular terrible errors.

  31. gaz says:

    good luck gibbo! i am proud of the way we treat players that come through our academy as Sir Alex puts it even if they dont make it at United they always go on and have a decent career for themselves hopefully he can kick on at Everton and make it into the Irish Squad for the Euros!

  32. NotoriousRedDevil says:

    On behalf of all those fans who gave you unwarranted abuse akin to those of leads fans I’d like to apologise even though I wasn’t one of them. Have a great career and score some screamers when you play cit-eh. Best of luck in the future Darron even if its against us.

  33. CedarsDevil says:

    NRD

    Well said pal, I always supported the lad and indeed best of luck to him. Picked up your post from the other thread, pity your wish will not happen now!

    I am sure PhitheRed will take good care of him.

  34. CedarsDevil says:

    Samuel

    Was gonna pick up on that but you did and perfectly may I add!

  35. smartalex says:

    I’d like to second NotoriousRedDevil’s 11:18

    On behalf of all those fans who gave you unwarranted abuse I’d like to apologise even though I was not one of them. Have a great career and score screamers when you play our main rivals. Best of luck in the future Darren, even if its against us.

  36. RedPharoe says:

    Off topic.

    But Gibson has been sold to Everton, on a 4,5 year deal.

  37. kanchelskis says:

    RedPharoe

    Wow. Thanks for that breaking news.

    *face … palm*

  38. CedarsDevil says:

    No shit?

  39. kanchelskis says:

    @CedarsDevil

    Haha. Good to see we’re both in corruscating mood this morning.

  40. CedarsDevil says:

    kanchelskis

    You beat me to it by a split second! haha

  41. NotoriousRedDevil says:

    @ Cedars. Oh well never mind, get Diouf to do it then. He’s going out on loan/won’t play much!!!

    Hopefully we have a sell on clause for Gibbo. Probably sold him cheap but he’ll do well at Everton. Hopefully we don’t get any more centre mid injuries.

  42. Jeet says:

    Good luck Gibbo! Not the biggest fan, but lad wore our short with pride, and always seemed a decent sort.

  43. RedPharoe says:

    Lol, didnt read the comments above. Stuff like that can happen.

    Well, good luck to Gibbo.

  44. Colbert says:

    Yay, more money saved for the Glazers!

  45. CedarsDevil says:

    RedPharoe

    Good on you for taking it the way it was intended, i.e. a bit of humor

  46. smartalex says:

    RedPharoe

    You’re a good lad! Our CedarsDevil and kanchelskis are having fun stirring the pot!
    It was funny though!

  47. Once a Devil always a Red Devil says:

    To add to the above stats De gea has also save every 23 minutes that is roughly 4 saves a match, where as AL has best statistics in the league for saves per shots faced, averaging 5.33 saves between each goal conceded. Though time ahead for the fans to decide who is better :D :D

  48. kanchelskis says:

    @RedPharoe

    Haha. No worries. I’ve done it many times before and got burned for it!

    xx

  49. RedPharoe says:

    @Smartalex
    Yeah, I can see the humor in it. Im though skinned enough to handle bs from those two…

    But On topic…
    Im still splitt between the two of them. Lindegaards first real test was against Shitty, and I thougth he was a bit to shaky for my liking, but did an OK job. Has more confidence, and is better at communicating with the defence and is better in the air than DeGea.
    DeGea has alot more potential, is a great shot stopper and has great distribution. But he is way to skinny, looks like a stick with a pair of gloves and he is anything else that convincing in the air.
    Though for the time being I think Im leaning towards Lindegaard, he looks like he’s the better choice at the moment, but it is only a question of time before DeGea takes the lead.

  50. Once a Devil always a Red Devil says:

    To add to the above stats De gea has also save every 23 minutes that is roughly 4 saves a match, where as AL has best statistics in the league for saves per shots faced, averaging 5.33 saves between each goal conceded. De Gea has 3.29 saves per saves per goal conceded which is fourth after fridel and Hart!

    So both our keepers in top 5 for saves per goal conceded! Interesting how long can we bench one of them is big question that SAF will have to address sooner or later :)

  51. United says:

    Big deal.

    This is as bad as the Arsenal “we hit the bar more than anyone every year table” that then puts them at the top of the ACTUAL table.

    He is a good keeper, but needs to get better to be a United quality keeper.

  52. parryheid says:

    Colbert.

    Hmm,maybe but money saved now could and probably will be money cost before the season’s out.

  53. Yustaq says:

    Hpy to see our two keepers wit good stat.
    It gives us edge as we can turn to anyone, anytime incase of injuries.
    But david de gea is still my favourite. I can never forget what he did for us against liverpool at anfield.
    Manchesterlogy-unitedlography

  54. akanemo says:

    how does save % matter against weaker teams? A save is a save against any team. so i think its pretty bullshit people thinking his (lindegard )stats are inflated. If you dont save a goal bound shot its a goal and if you do …. well its a save. It doesnt matter what team.

  55. Always Be Closing says:

    Nah, the next nearest is Joe Hart..

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