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Scouting Report: Is Levante's Keylor Navas the Best Goalkeeper in Europe ?
tiki_taka 11 years ago
Barcelona, France 367 9768

When you think of Europe's best goalkeepers, Levante's 27-year-old Costa Rican international Keylor Navas probably would not feature on most people's top 20, let alone top five. But this scouting report will shed light on Navas' outstanding season thus far.

AS English on Twitter : If you knocked a priceless Ming vase out of a tenth storey window you would want Keylor Navas underneath. He's on fire tonight.

World-Class Shot-Stopper :

Navas reflexes are a key factor in him leading La Liga in saves made (95).
In a 3-2 win over Sevilla, he pulled off an outrageous diving save to deny Ivan Rakitic from heading home after a pin-point cross from his teammate Coke.

Navas made seven saves that game.

Speaking of seven, Navas conceded seven in Levante's first league game against Barcelona.
But in his second game against the Catalan club, he made four important saves that were crucial to Levante clinging to a point in a 1-1 draw against Barca last month.

He stopped Barca deep-lying forward Lionel Messi from scoring in a one-on-one situation.
The ball rebounded to Barca centre midfielder Xavi, whose shot was blocked by Levante
centre-back Juanfran, which deflected straight to Messi, and his header was
palmed away by Navas.

While Messi was flagged offside for his second goal-bound attempt, Navas would not have known, so he showed extraordinary quickness around his penalty box in reacting to all three plays.

Messi, who has a 65 percent shooting accuracy (14 percent higher than Real Madrid left attacking midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo), generally converts clear-cut goalscoring chances.

However,Messi failed to do so against Navas on that occasion, which was an example of his world-class shot-stopping.

That was what happened to Real Sociedad centre forward Imanol Agirretxe, who latched on to teammate Antoine Griezmann's header but watched his snapshot get snuffed out by Navas.

Navas went on to make seven saves to help seal a 0-0 draw against Sociedad.

On three occasions, Navas has made seven saves in a league game and has registered five saves or more in nine games—40.1 percent of his matches this season.

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Comments
tiki_taka 11 years ago Edited
Barcelona, France 367 9768

He makes game-defining saves.

In the final minute of stoppage time during Levante s 2-2 draw against Almeria, he anticipated Hernan Pellerano winning the header and the direction he was going to head the ball in.

Navas save was the difference between one point and no point.

He came up big again in a 0-0 draw against Real Betis. He saved Jorge Molinas first penalty but was flagged by the linesperson for prematurely charging off the line. Navas then saved Molinas penalty again.

  • Statistically Comparing Navas to Europes Best :

You might be thinking: \"This is anecdotal and purely subjective. What about an objective analysis: How does Navas statistically compare to goalkeepers in Europes elite leagues who have accumulated the most clean sheets ? \"

Here is a select statistical evaluation that will be comparing Navas to Romas Morgan De Sanctis, Bayern Munichs Manuel Neuer, Chelseas Petr Cech and Atletico Madrids Chelsea loanee Thibaut Courtois.

Please note Lilles Vincent Enyeama, who has accumulated 15 clean sheets this season, was excluded from the statistical evaluation because Fox Soccer did not have his saves or shots on target faced total numbers.

  • Navas Statistical Evaluation

Player ----------Clean Sheets------Saves-----Saves Per GoalConceded------Save (pr cent)
Navas ------------- 9 ----------------- 95 * ------------- 3.7 ------------------ 78.5
De Sanctis ------- 14 ---------------- 49 ------------- 4.5 ------------------- 81.7
Neuer ------------ 12 ---------------- 54 --------------- 6.0 ------------------- 85.7
Cech ------------- 11 ---------------- 56 --------------- 2.8 ------------------- 73.7
Courtois --------- 11 ---------------- 42 --------------- 3.0 ------------------- 77.7
* 98 saves, per Opta

Navas clean-sheets total (nine) is just three behind Neuer despite Levantes back line mainly consisting of modest pros such as Pedro Lopez, David Navarro, Loukas Vyntra and Juanfran.

It is a testament to Navas ability that his statistics are on par with some of Europe s best keepers.

He has made the most saves (95) and has the third-highest saves per goal conceded (3.7), behind Neuer (6.0) and De Sanctis (4.5).

Navas deserves to be recognised as one of Europes best keepers right now.

Statistics via WhoScored, FFT Stats Zone, Squawka and Fox Soccer.

As I said it many times before, many players in Europe dont have the recognition they deserve and you sure know why.... But sometimes, posting some of these threads is good for keeping objective views. ;)

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  • History
Showing previous versions of this text.

He makes game-defining saves.

In the final minute of stoppage time during Levante s 2-2 draw against Almeria, he anticipated Hernan Pellerano winning the header and the direction he was going to head the ball in.

Navas save was the difference between one point and no point.

He came up big again in a 0-0 draw against Real Betis. He saved Jorge Molinas first penalty but was flagged by the linesperson for prematurely charging off the line. Navas then saved Molinas penalty again.

  • Statistically Comparing Navas to Europes Best :

You might be thinking: "This is anecdotal and purely subjective. What about an objective analysis: How does Navas statistically compare to goalkeepers in Europes elite leagues who have accumulated the most clean sheets ? "

Here is a select statistical evaluation that will be comparing Navas to Romas Morgan De Sanctis, Bayern Munichs Manuel Neuer, Chelseas Petr Cech and Atletico Madrids Chelsea loanee Thibaut Courtois.

Please note Lilles Vincent Enyeama, who has accumulated 15 clean sheets this season, was excluded from the statistical evaluation because Fox Soccer did not have his saves or shots on target faced total numbers.

  • Navas Statistical Evaluation

Player ----------Clean Sheets------Saves-----Saves Per GoalConceded------Save (pr cent)
Navas ------------- 9 ----------------- 95 * ------------- 3.7 ------------------ 78.5
De Sanctis ------- 14 ---------------- 49 ------------- 4.5 ------------------- 81.7
Neuer ------------ 12 ---------------- 54 --------------- 6.0 ------------------- 85.7
Cech ------------- 11 ---------------- 56 --------------- 2.8 ------------------- 73.7
Courtois --------- 11 ---------------- 42 --------------- 3.0 ------------------- 77.7
* 98 saves, per Opta

Navas clean-sheets total (nine) is just three behind Neuer despite Levantes back line mainly consisting of modest pros such as Pedro Lopez, David Navarro, Loukas Vyntra and Juanfran.

It is a testament to Navas ability that his statistics are on par with some of Europe s best keepers.

He has made the most saves (95) and has the third-highest saves per goal conceded (3.7), behind Neuer (6.0) and De Sanctis (4.5).

Navas deserves to be recognised as one of Europes best keepers right now.

Statistics via WhoScored, FFT Stats Zone, Squawka and Fox Soccer.

As I said it many times before, many players in Europe dont have the recognition they deserve and you sure know why.... But sometimes, posting some of these threads is good for keeping objective views.

One of the most impressing GK of the moment ;).

ramaboy10 11 years ago Edited
Mauritius 285 6463

No. Not against the likes of Cech and others, who are proven goalkeepers. Has this guy even played CL before?

I agree that he should be recognized though.

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Showing previous versions of this text.

No. Not against the likes of Cech and others, who are proven goalkeepers. Has this guy even played CL before?

Dephased 11 years ago
Arsenal, United States 12 501

Doesnt matter what he has played hes proving hes among the best.

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tiki_taka 11 years ago
Barcelona, France 367 9768

Never qualified to CL, but he doesnt have to play CL to get recognition imo...
Many GK in Europe dont play CL and are known and recognized, they dont have even his stats.
Enyema and Navas are not famous but they are here with the best this season.

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Vendetta 11 years ago
Chelsea FC, Egypt 202 3025

Those are some fantastic saves he pulled of in those gifs you showed. I haven't seen much of him, do you have any video compilations of him that I can see?

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tiki_taka 11 years ago Edited
Barcelona, France 367 9768

Its complicated to find a good compilation :) but here some short videos...




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Tuanis 11 years ago
Manchester United, England 87 2311

BEAST GOALKEEPER!

no but seriously, this guy is currently one of the most in-form keepers in Europe. He is probably going to replace Courtois in AM if he gets called back to Chelsea. The thing is, people dont know this guy because he plays for a mid-table team in Spain but the truth is that team is only mid table and not in relegation zone because of this guy.

People should watch any Levante game on the FR highlights he stands out in every game.

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Dephased 11 years ago
Arsenal, United States 12 501

In La Liga this season he has been the best by a MILE. Valdes is ranked first because he plays for a good defence so it makes it much easier for him to get good stats. And playing for big teams you get overrated even by good pundits as they rate big players higher.

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Tuanis 11 years ago
Manchester United, England 87 2311

I know tiki already showed it but here is the video to appreciate his greatness:

not many keepers can save 2 penalties in a row, this is why he is considered currently one of the best out there.

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tiki_taka 11 years ago Edited
Barcelona, France 367 9768

And Malaga GK Caballero is also very good, i heard saying here that GK in Spain were not good, how they got to this conclusion while they dont know much about the league...
Saying that a league has the best GK is absolutely biased...
Actually all big 5 leagues have good GK, i give Bundesliga a small advantage than the others...

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Showing previous versions of this text.

And Malaga GK Caballero is also very good, i heard someone here saying that GK in Spain were not good, how can he got to this conclusion while he doesnt know anything about the league...
Saying that a league has the best GK is absolutely biased, and proves ignorance of other leagues level...
When we dont know that much about a subsect, better stay quiet.
Actually all big 5 leagues have good GK, i give Bundesliga a small advantage than the others...

And Malaga GK Caballero is also very good, i heard someone here saying that GK in Spain were not good, how can he got to this conclusion while he doesnt know anything about the league...
Saying that a league has the best GK is absolutely biased, and proves ignorance of other leagues level...
When we dont know that much about a subject, better stay quiet.
Actually all big 5 leagues have good GK, i give Bundesliga a small advantage than the others...

And Malaga GK Caballero is also very good, i heard someone here saying that GK in Spain were not good, how can he got to this conclusion while he doesnt know much about the league...
Saying that a league has the best GK is absolutely biased...
Actually all big 5 leagues have good GK, i give Bundesliga a small advantage than the others...

Lodatz 11 years ago
Tottenham Hotspur, England 150 4992

Saying that the goalkeepers in one league are better is measurable, and denying that the PL has the most, is both ignorant and biased against the PL.

You just won't stop, will you?

Shut up.

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Dynastian98 11 years ago
Real Madrid 483 7140

Wow, he's actually great! I haven't paid much attention to Levante this season, so I didn't realize how brilliant he was until I saw your post. Thanks for sharing. :)

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tiki_taka 11 years ago Edited
Barcelona, France 367 9768

@ Lodatz You will never end it ? Im tired of you.
Give me facts about saves per game or saves per goal conceded or something else instead. OR JUST SHUT UP.

Thanks Dynast, many other talents are still unknown due to the lack of visibility.
And many other overexposed but hasnt reached this level...

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Showing previous versions of this text.

@ Lodatz You will never end it ? Im tired of you.
Give me facts about saves per game or saves per goal conceded or something else instead. OR JUST SHUT UP.

Lodatz 11 years ago
Tottenham Hotspur, England 150 4992

@tiki: stop starting it, and then you can stop getting your ass kicked.

I'm tired of YOU, and my reasons are a 100 times better than yours.

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Lodatz 11 years ago
Tottenham Hotspur, England 150 4992





Sorry, but Navas is not even CLOSE to being the best goalkeeper in Europe.

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knibis 11 years ago
Valencia, Sweden 181 2500

"people dont know this guy because he plays for a mid-table team in Spain" <--- be that PL fans, replace 'people' with PL fans

and btw i would rate Diego Alves La Ligas best goalkeeper actually but i would say its very very tight between Navas, Alves(been called up for brazil finally!), Valdes and Courtois

but i have to disagree with PL-fanboy number 1, Navas is pretty close to being the best keeper in europe, btw i saw his save against almeria yesterday.. damn

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Dynastian98 11 years ago
Real Madrid 483 7140

^ No Casillas or Lopez? They're very good. Casillas, at least, is better than Valdes, that's for sure.

And Diego Alves is indeed one of the best goalkeepers in Spain. By the way Knibis, what happened to Guaita? Does he still play, or is he stuck as second-choice GK now?

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ikoiko 11 years ago
Arsenal, Spain 53 853

@knibis, Diego Alves' call to play for Brazil is was long overdue, I bet you're ecstatic!

Victor Valdes does belong on that list. As it was stated, he may be a bit overrated because he plays for Barça but he made a masterclass save against Rayo Vallecano recently, almost identical to the one Fabianski swept away from Sturridge. I hate to divert the attention to the PL but Fabianski was great today.

Back to La Liga. Caballero has deserved a call-up for Argentina for quite a while in my opinion.

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Tacuachillo 11 years ago
Barcelona, Mexico 8 242

I would say he is the best in La Liga but no the best in europe. I've been noticing this keeper for a while, mainly because i follow the CONCACAF. My top 5 for la liga

  1. Navas
  2. Lopez
  3. Courtois
  4. Alves
  5. Bravo
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knibis 11 years ago
Valencia, Sweden 181 2500

^ dont forget Kiko Casilla

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