Who were the top 'keepers in Ligue 1 McDonald's this season?
Goals avoided, save percentage... Which Ligue 1 McDonald's goalkeepers performed best, according to the numbers? Here's a closer look at some of the key stats.
Which goalkeeper was the most valuable to his team during the recently concluded Ligue 1 McDonald's season? Various data can be used to form an opinion, but several names stand out depending on the category, including Marseille's Gerónimo Rulli, Reims' Yehvann Diouf, Strasbourg's Djordje Petrović, Nice's Marcin Bułka, and Angers' Yahia Fofana.
Diouf "prevents" the most goals
To begin with, Champagne goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf is the Ligue 1 McDonald's goalkeeper who leads the league in "goals prevented." This ranking reflects the difference between expected goals conceded on target and actual goals conceded (excluding own goals). Diouf has "prevented" 15.93 goals for Stade de Reims. He has done better than Angers' Yahia Fofana (13.09) and Auxerre's Donovan Léon (11.47). These are the only three who have "prevented" more than 10 goals for their team:
The second-highest in terms of goals prevented in the first half (6.18), Yehvann Diouf was even more decisive in the second half, where he prevented 9.75 goals for Reims. Over the season as a whole, the new Senegalese international was the most impressive at the Stade Auguste-Delaune (11.17 goals prevented compared to 4.76 at home).
Bulka and Fofana, Kings of Saves
In terms of save volume, eight goalkeepers have made more than 100 this season. Among them, the one with the most is none other than Yahia Fofana. SCO's last line of defense has a total of 136, one more than Saint-Étienne's Gautier Larsonneur and Reims' Diouf. Behind them, we find another goalkeeper from the second half of the table, Auxerre's Donovan Léon.
On the other hand, another goalkeeper has the best save percentage this season. It's Poland's Marcin Bułka. The Nice goalkeeper has a save percentage of 74.69%. That's slightly better than Djordje Petrović (74.5%), while the next highest is none other than Yehvann Diouf.
Rulli, the most accurate passer...
Among the elite goalkeepers, five have completed more than 1,000 passes this season. The most active kicker is – by far – Strasbourg's Djordje Petrović (1,418 passes, 1,117 of which were successful). In terms of accuracy, Argentinian Gerónimo Rulli leads the way with 86.9% of successful passes. The Marseille player narrowly edges out Gianluigi Donnarumma (85.4%), while Petrović completes the podium (78.8%).
Three goalkeepers have provided assists this season, starting with Auxerre's Donovan Léon, who has two. The other two goalkeepers involved are Toulouse's Guillaume Restes and Paris's third-choice goalkeeper, Arnau Tenas, who has only played one league game this season.
...and Decisive on Penalties
Finally, what about penalties? Three goalkeepers have saved several this season: Rulli (3), Brice Samba, and Larsonneur (2). OM's Argentinian goalkeeper has a 50% save rate in this season, as has Guillaume Restes and AJA's backup, Théo De Percin, but the latter two have only saved one in total.
Read more:
>> Concacaf Gold Cup: Matchday One Roundup
