Shropshire Star

By the numbers: Stats show Wolves' Rui Patricio is among the finest

A top goalkeeper is a must for any ambitious team – and luckily for Wolves, Rui Patricio is a superb shot-stopper.

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Arriving as a Euro 2016-winner, the Portuguese had a solid first term at Molineux, but this season has been noticeably better.

The 32-year-old is now used to the Premier League’s physicality and has also been a dependable figure in the Europa League, so let’s have a look at his campaign by the numbers.

Clean sheets

The first thing you probably look at when it comes to keepers is the amount of clean sheets they have to their name.

And in the league, Patricio has managed to keep the opposition at bay on eight occasions.

That is the same number as Manchester United’s David de Gea, one better than Arsenal’s Bernd Leno and only one off Manchester City’s Ederson – while Burnley’s Nick Pope is top of the pile, with 11.

The Portuguese’s tally is also better than what he achieved last season, when he got seven clean sheets in the Premier League.

If the campaign resumes – the firm aim of top-flight chiefs – then Patricio will be aiming to set a new record in terms of the number of clean sheets kept in a single Premier League season by Wolves.

The current record is nine (thanks to help from John Ruddy) from last term, and you would back Patricio to surpass that by managing two shut-outs from Wolves’ nine remaining matches.

He has also come up with five clean sheets in the Europa League, so in total has 13 from 42 games. Not bad at all.

Saves

In terms of saves, Patricio is probably where you would expect him to be in terms of the league’s list.

Tim Krul, for example, is right up there in terms of saves (96), having played in a struggling Norwich side.

Alisson, of league leaders Liverpool, meanwhile, has only made 45 saves.

Patricio in action at Southampton (PA)

The number of saves a keeper makes depends on what is in front of him, so it is not the biggest surprise to see Patricio (78) of sixth-placed Wolves comes between De Gea (76) of fifth-placed United and Kasper Schmeichel (80) of third-placed Leicester.

His output is very similar to those in the sticks for teams around Wolves in the table.

Also worth noting is that Patricio is joint top in the league, with Krul, when it comes to penalty saves, having made two.

Distribution

One thing a fair few have pointed out over the course of campaign is Patricio’s improvement when it comes to his kicking.

The stats back up that notion as well.

It may not be a drastic difference, but it is an improvement nonetheless.

In 2018/19, Patricio managed 6.9 accurate long balls per game in the league. This season, it has been 7.1.

And while still more inaccurate than accurate with his long balls, Patricio is less wasteful than he was last term.

In 2018/19, it was 9.4 inaccurate long balls per game while this campaign, it has been 7.4.

His short passing has also been better this term.

Minutes played

Lastly, Patricio finds himself in esteemed company in the league as he has played every minute of every game thus far.

Conor Coady is the only other Wolves player to achieve that feat, and only 15 have in total.

Patricio has also played every game in the Europa bar one – a 4-0 win against Besiktas when advancement from the group stage had already been sealed. A vital cog in a superb season so far.