Reina v Mignolet – Has Liverpool boss Rodgers made the right call?

Simon Mignolet

The arrival of Simon Mignolet at Anfield this summer signalled the departure of long-term goalkeeper Pepe Reina. Napoli manager and former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez was only too happy to make his former custodian part of the exciting project he is building in Italy, and the Spaniard’s departure left many fans wondering whether Brendan Rodgers had made the right decision.

In terms of Performance Score, it would seem as though the ex-Swansea manager was incorrect. Over in Naples, Reina has accumulated a Score of 256, a figure which sneers at his successor’s 168 total and seems to make a mockery of Rodgers’ decision to replace the Spanish goalkeeper with Mignolet – indeed, it is the second highest Performance Score in the Napoli team.

However, when the statistics are studied more closely, things look very different. Both goalkeepers sides are second in their respective leagues, yet Mignolet has had to make many more saves than his predecessor. The Belgian makes, on average, 3.14 saves per game in comparison to Reina’s round figure of two; and despite facing more shots, Mignolet has actually conceded fewer goals than the Napoli goalkeeper.

Reina also makes less saves between each goal than Mignolet, suggesting that Rodgers’ decision may not have been as idiotic as the Performance Score hints. The current incumbent of the number one jersey at Anfield makes, on average, 4.4 saves per goal whereas Reina stops an average of just 3.5. These stats show Mignolet to be the more reliable of the two goalkeepers in terms of shot stopping, something which has played an important part in Liverpool’s excellent start to the season.

Despite Mignolet’s superiority in the shot stopping department, his distribution is overshadowed by a man whose kicking has always been one of his strongest attributes. Reina has a 72% completion rate of long distance kicks, a total which Mignolet’s mere 52% simply cannot compete with. In a game where a goalkeeper’s kicking is becoming increasingly important in order to launch more direct attacks or to ensure retention of the ball, Reina is still up there with the best in world football.

It is hard to separate these two goalkeepers; Rodgers had a very tough decision to make and could have easily stuck with Reina as his number one. However, with the Spaniard hitting his thirties, which is by no means too old for a shot-stopper, he has been perceived as entering a period of decline in recent years. Combine this with the superior shot stopping ability of Mignolet, and the decision to offload the long-serving Spaniard and replace him with the Belgian is understandable.

Mignolet is an outstanding goalkeeper and will prove crucial to the title bid which Liverpool fans hope they will launch following their good start to the Premier League season.