Injustice to Andre Onana

Before the match, Onana was involved in an argument with Lyon midfielder Nemanja Matic. Matic said that Onana was "one of the worst goalkeepers in MU history". Immediately, Onana responded on his personal page that he "won the title with MU, but Matic did not".

However, on the pitch, the opposite happened. The Cameroonian goalkeeper was at fault for both goals MU conceded against Lyon, especially in the first phase. Thiago Almada's tricky free kick caused the former Inter Milan star to fumble the ball into the net, much to the amazement of MU players and fans.

In the final minutes, it seemed like MU would leave France with a 1-goal lead, Onana's habit of pushing the ball forward continued to cause the "Red Devils" to be punctured by the home team in the final minute of extra time. Most people started to support Matic's statement, but is MU's "goalkeeper" really that bad?

The injustice of raw statistics

If Matic's assessment of Onana was based on statistics, looking only at goals conceded per game and clean sheet percentage, it could be considered a correct assessment.

Considering only goalkeepers who have played at least 30 games, Onana actually concedes the most goals in United history. He has conceded an average of 1.4 goals per game and kept just 26% clean sheets, both of which are the lowest figures among the eight goalkeepers who have played for the Red Devils who meet that criteria.

Goals conceded per game and clean sheet percentage of goalkeepers who have played at least 30 games for MU. Photo: The Athletic.

However, this table also shows the absurdity of ranking goalkeepers this way. According to these stats, Roy Carroll — famous for his goal-scoring goal for Tottenham in 2005 — could be the best goalkeeper in modern United history.

The problem with comparing goalkeepers based on these raw numbers is that it ignores any broader context, arguably one of the most important being the strength (or weakness) of the defence in front of them.

Liverpool have conceded 30 Premier League goals this season, double the number Chelsea conceded in their 2004/05 title-winning campaign. Does that mean Petr Cech is twice as good as Alisson or Caoimhin Kelleher? Of course not.

Chelsea's solid defence was the result of a number of factors. John Terry's back four, Jose Mourinho's tactics, a more cautious era of football and, finally, Cech's superb shot-stopping ability. It is almost impossible to assign the right degree of responsibility to each of these factors.

Unlike Cech, a loose defence in front of him has left Onana facing more shots. Despite improvements this season, United have still allowed opponents more shots on target than the Premier League average since the Cameroonian arrived at Old Trafford.

Onana still has its own values

The Athletic points to the number of shots on target United have conceded as one of the reasons why Onana compares unfavourably to his predecessors. In total, he has faced an average of 4.8 shots on target per game.

For comparison, that's 50% more than the 3.2 shots that legendary Edwin van der Sar faced during his time in the Premier League.

MU have allowed opponents more shots on target than the Premier League average since the Cameroonian goalkeeper arrived at Old Trafford. Photo: The Athletic.

The problem with Onana is that when judging a goalkeeper, it’s easier to remember a few memorable but rare errors than to judge the consistency of their performances week after week. The high-profile errors have obscured the fact that Onana has been among the best goalkeepers in the Premier League since joining United.

Since the start of last season, the 29-year-old has faced 332 shots in the Premier League, with an xGOT (expected goals based on shots on target) of 93. However, Onana has conceded just 87 goals, six fewer than would be expected based on the quality of shots he has faced.

In percentage terms, this statistic puts the Cameroonian in fifth place among Premier League goalkeepers in the same period for outstanding xGOT.

Additionally, another weakness in Matic's assessment is that the goalkeeper role has evolved so much that any meaningful statistical comparisons between generations have become redundant.

Onana is in the top 5 goalkeepers in the Premier League in terms of shot-saving ability. Photo: The Athletic.

Apart from rushing forward to join the attack from late corners in search of an equaliser, Peter Schmeichel rarely left the penalty area. On the contrary, making dangerous saves is now an essential aspect of the modern goalkeeper’s role, along with the ability to distribute the ball effectively.

Pep Guardiola dropped Joe Hart at Manchester City — not because Hart lacked traditional goalkeeping qualities like shot-stopping and box control, but because he failed to meet modern demands for footwork and proactive positioning.

Similarly, one of the main reasons why Onana was brought in to replace David de Gea at United was the Spaniard's reluctance to come off his line and block danger further from goal.

The demands placed on goalkeepers are so varied that reducing their performances to a few basic statistics risks obscuring the true complexity of the role in modern football.

Source: https://znews.vn/su-bat-cong-voi-andre-onana-post1544924.html