How Good Is New Man Utd Keeper Lammens?

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An image of goalkeeper Senne Lammens signing a statement arsenic he is announced arsenic a Manchester United playerImage source, Getty Images

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Senne Lammens is Manchester United's latest signing

Umir Irfan

Football strategies correspondent

Meet Manchester United's final signing of nan summer, Senne Lammens, a goalkeeper signed from Royal Antwerp connected nan past time of nan transportation model complete Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez.

The large mobility is, conscionable really bully is he now?

And could he go bully capable to make nan position arsenic United's first-choice keeper his ain for years to come?

This portion contains a broad study of his strengths and weaknesses based connected performances past season.

One of nan champion successful nan world according to data

When looking astatine nan data, Lammens stands out, pinch club sources astatine United citing cardinal metrics for illustration claimed crosses, changeable stopping, and a deficiency of errors starring to goals arsenic peculiarly impressive.

Most notably, his shot-stopping numbers are chart-topping. Of each goalkeepers successful Europe's apical 10 leagues past season, Lammens classed first for full saves made (173) pinch a 77.4% prevention percentage.

Using xG, he was expected to concede 66.4 goals but only fto successful 48 (excluding ain goals) placing him 2nd successful Europe for goals prevented, having statistically stopped 18.4 full goals.

As pinch each data, however, it is important to analyse nan footage to put it successful context.

What are nan situations Lammens finds himself successful often? And really good do these stats clasp up erstwhile watching Lammens pinch an oculus connected his move to Manchester United?

How Lammens deals pinch 1 against ones

Let's attraction connected his changeable stopping to statesman with.

It is important to differentiate betwixt short and agelong 1v1s erstwhile analysing keepers.

In agelong 1v1s, a subordinate moving unopposed towards extremity starts further distant from goal, giving some nan attacker and keeper much time. This poses its ain challenges erstwhile compared to short region 1v1s.

Lammens' rationale for really he approaches 1v1s is intelligent - albeit pinch a fewer mini flaws.

Lammens has nan velocity to travel retired quickly and opts to travel retired partially to constrictive nan perspective erstwhile an attacker enters nan box. After rushing out, he tends to extremity and clasp his position making himself big, forcing nan attacker to make a decision.

By reducing nan angles a striker tin purpose at, he makes it difficult for them to score. He doesn't spell to crushed excessively early successful these situations, reducing nan likelihood he concedes a punishment aliases is rounded by nan attacker for an easy tap-in.

A screengrab from a lucifer successful which goalkeeper Senne Lammens has travel disconnected his statement to nan mediate of his punishment container holding his position good successful a 1 against 1 business pinch nan guidance striker attacking nan goal.

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Lammens holds his position good successful 1 against 1 situations, making himself large and minimising nan perspective for opponents

One downside, however, is that successful coming retired to constrictive nan angle, if attackers return their changeable early location is abstraction either broadside of Lammens, resulting successful what looks for illustration a amazingly easy finish. This tin hap excessively if Lammens is slower to unreserved retired successful nan first instance, getting caught in-between his 2 positions.

In short 1v1 situations, Lammens closes nan perspective down quickly, not committing greatly to 1 peculiar side, preventing strikers from having a clear broadside to purpose at. He doesn't look to smother and cod nan shot pinch his hands successful a sliding fashion. Instead he stands reasonably square, pinch his arms outstretched wide, spreading his legs successful a long-barrier fashion, arsenic seen successful cricket.

His wide spread, height, fantabulous reactions and usage of his legs to make saves makes him a beardown action successful these 1v1s.

How Lammens saves shots from distance

A ample proportionality of nan shots Lammens faced past play were from further retired aliases pinch a slope of defenders successful beforehand of him. In these situations, Lammens is again reasonably assured, albeit against players of a little value than he'd expect to look successful nan Premier League.

On juncture he takes a somewhat precocious position, not opinionated connected his statement but a fewer yards ahead. This has nan added use of reducing nan perspective opponents tin purpose at, positioning nan keeper wherever they person a chance of stopping nan shot person to nan centre of nan goal.

If a keeper was opinionated connected his line, a changeable group for nan apical area mightiness beryllium reasonably un-saveable but successful stepping a fewer yards forward, successful theory, this could beryllium much easy saved earlier it was excessively acold retired of reach.

It's an absorbing quirk to his crippled but this type of positioning does consequence successful Lammens getting his assemblage down shots from distance, often catching them safely. As a result, he tin make shots look easier to prevention than they genuinely are.

A screengrab from a lucifer successful which goalkeeper Senne Lammens has travel disconnected his statement somewhat reducing nan perspective for nan guidance striker to score.

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By stepping a fewer yards disconnected his line, Lammens tin extremity nan shot from being excessively acold distant from him

If he does return up this somewhat precocious position, 1 downside is against shots taken early aliases done a crowd of bodies, he gives himself little clip to make a guidance save.

His reactions are very bully and he tin get down quickly for a keeper for his size but successful scenarios successful which a changeable isn't expected aliases seen well, each millisecond matters truthful taking a position person to his goalline is preferable here. When starting person to his line, his guidance saves guidelines retired arsenic a notable strength.

Best astatine stopping crosses successful Europe aliases misleading data?

Club sources mention Lammens' expertise to extremity crosses arsenic thing that stands retired successful nan information - and they're right. He classed first of each keepers successful Europe's apical 10 leagues past play for crosses stopped (13.2%).

United person been targeted complete their inability to take sides corners good astatine nan commencement of nan season, truthful they will beryllium hoping that nan aforementioned stat will carnivore consequence for them.

Watching him, however, reveals why these numbers are truthful awesome without being an contiguous hole to their area weaknesses.

Lammens is highly proactive successful coming for crosses. He leaves his statement to drawback astir 50-50 aerial balls. In nan Belgian Pro League, he faced galore crosses in-between nan protect statement and his goalline that were reasonably uncontested, truthful it was easy for him to travel disconnected his statement and confidently drawback these, particularly arsenic he is 6ft 4in. This partially helps explicate nan precocious percent of crosses stopped.

From set-pieces, particularly corners, Lammens has this aforesaid eager attack but to little success. His earthy small heart is to travel retired and effort to declare nan shot but he struggles to publication nan formation of nan shot astatine times, trying to drawback aliases punch it successful situations successful which he should enactment connected his line.

A screengrab showing Senne Lammens rushing disconnected his statement to effort and drawback a transverse from an guidance free kick, pinch nan shot travelling complete his caput earlier being headed successful nan extremity by nan guidance player.

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Lammens rushes out, misjudging nan formation of nan ball, starring to a header scored astatine nan backmost station from a free-kick

The discrepancy successful his beardown crosses-stopped numbers and what is seen erstwhile watching him astatine corners is made clearer knowing he conceded 8 goals from 85 corners faced past season, according to Opta.

Conceding 9% of each corners faced, erstwhile compared to each Premier League keepers who faced much than 20 corners past season, places 15 keepers arsenic having a amended percent and 12 arsenic having worse.

Interestingly, Aston Villa's Martinez classed 2nd best, only conceding 2 goals from corners having faced 60. Lammens' 9%, however, is simply a large betterment connected United's first-choice keeper past season, Andre Onana, who conceded 17.2%.

It is cardinal to statement these numbers are influenced by nan value of nan league, guidance faced, and nan defending team's expertise to take sides corners. United's team-wide defending of corners has been questionable astatine times and nan Premier League's physicality, inventive area routines and usage of individuals to use beingness interaction connected keepers, whitethorn origin Lammens' numbers to go somewhat worse arsenic he learns to accommodate to nan league.

His confidence, aggression and tallness do springiness him useful earthy devices to amended successful these situations if coached astir erstwhile to travel and really to position himself.

How bully is Lammens pinch his feet?

The 23-year-old has shown a proficiency pinch some feet and is not acrophobic to power and walk nan shot pinch either, contempt being chiefly correct footed.

In short build-up play, erstwhile nan near centre-back passes nan shot to him, he uses his near ft to usher it to nan correct centre-back pinch 1 touch, which leads to a smoother, quicker build-up. He doesn't request to return a touch to move it to his correct ft and this increases nan velocity nan shot gets to nan different side.

When passing agelong pinch his correct foot, he is much meticulous passing crossed his assemblage towards nan near flank. He is little meticulous passing towards nan correct broadside of nan pitch.

As we would expect his left-footed agelong passing is little meticulous than that pinch his correct ft and acts much arsenic a instrumentality to clear nan shot alternatively than a pinpoint pass.

A screengrab showing goalkeeper Senne Lammens passing nan shot agelong and towards nan near broadside of nan pitch.

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His astir meticulous agelong walk is pinch his correct ft towards nan near broadside of nan pitch

He faced little nonstop pressing unit successful nan Belgian Pro League compared to what he will brushwood successful nan Premier League. Based connected nan fewer clips successful which he was pressed, he often opted to motorboat it agelong and these passes weren't straight to team-mates but alternatively into wide zones up nan pitch, starring to contested duels and turnovers.

Another top-flight broadside successful Europe precocious passed connected him complete his ball-playing ability, apt not wanting a greater number of turnovers from situations successful which nan keeper was pressed by nan opposition.

A affirmative is that he readily shows for nan ball, dropping heavy and wide aft passing it, making it easier for team-mates to walk backmost to him. He besides looks assured moreover erstwhile pressed which is apt to springiness a consciousness of calm to nan remainder of nan team.

The verdict connected Lammens?

The information flags Lammens arsenic instantly awesome but person video study helps to explicate why immoderate of those stats mightiness request to beryllium interpreted successful a somewhat much measured fashion.

The caller United keeper is tall, confident, calm, proactive and imposing. As a axenic changeable stopper, he has shown value from region and successful 1 against ones. This is reassuring.

He has galore of nan earthy devices that mean he could blossom into a well-rounded keeper - but moving to a convention that is much beingness than he is utilized to, prepares much diligently for set-piece situations, and presses much intensely, are each challenges he will person to negociate if he is to go United's first-choice keeper for nan foreseeable future.

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