The curious case of how Andre Onana became Dream Team’s unlikely top goalkeeper

WITH the 2023/24 season drawing to a dramatic conclusion, it’s highly likely Andre Onana (£3.3m) will finish the campaign as Dream Team’s best goalkeeper.

Manchester United’s custodian is 20 points clear of his nearest rival at the time of writing having somehow racked up an impressive total of 176.

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Dream Team

An unlikely leader[/caption]

MOST POINTS AMONG DREAM TEAM GOALKEEPERS THIS SEASON

• 176 pts – Andre Onana
• 156 pts – David Raya
• 147 pts – Emi Martinez
• 138 pts – Jordan Pickford
• 128 pts – Bernd Leno
• 118 pts – Jose Sa
• 118 pts – Guglielmo Vicario
• 115 pts – Ederson
• 113 pts – Alisson
• 112 pts – Neto

It’s worth noting that Raya would almost certainly be top of the pile had he been Arsenal’s first-choice keeper from the get-go this term as the Gunners’ defensive numbers are comfortably the best among Premier League clubs but such hypotheticals are futile.

Onana’s supremacy is a curious development given the nature of his performances throughout the first half of the campaign.

The Cameroon international made several high-profile errors in the weeks following his transfer from Inter, particularly in the Champions League, with pundits and fans alike singling him out for severe criticism.

More broadly, the majority of the Red Devils’ games this season have been open-ended contests.

In fact, Erik ten Hag’s side have conceded more shots than any other top flight team since the turn of the year.

Liverpool registered 28 shots in the entertaining 2-2 draw at Old Trafford last weekend which was the most the hosts have faced in a single league game on home soil since records began in 2003/04.

Rex

Man United’s structure out of possession is under the microscope[/caption]

The most damning statistic is that Onana has conceded more goals than any other Dream Team keeper this season.

The 28-year-old has picked the ball out of his net 67 times already, two more than Luton’s Thomas Kaminski (£1.8m) and four times more than Sheffield United’s Wes Foderingham (£1.6m).

So how has he established a healthy lead at the top of the rankings?

While it’s true Onana has conceded plenty of goals he’s also registered 12 clean sheets in all competitions – only the aforementioned Raya has more to his name at the time of writing.

This duality is symptomatic of Man United’s season as a whole; dismal at their worst but capable of hugely impressive feats when everything clicks.

The decisive factor in Onana’s mountainous points tally is the sheer number of saves he’s made.

This season, keepers earn one point for every two saves – this tweak recognises their individual performances in greater detail.

And so, while United’s porous defence has led to many goals conceded, it’s also forced Onana to make a whopping 159 saves!

Getty

Onana has been very busy this season[/caption]

MOST SAVES AMONG DREAM TEAM GOALKEEPERS THIS SEASON

• 159 – Andre Onana
• 122 – Alphonse Areola
• 122 – Bernd Leno
• 119 – Thomas Kaminski
• 114 – Jose Sa

Onana is in a league of his own in this key metric.

As a result, he’s earned 71 points through saves alone – that accounts for 40.3% of his total.

While the number of shots conceded is a huge cause for concern for Ten Hag and the Old Trafford faithful, it’s created a formidable Dream Team asset almost by accident.

This extreme example teaches Dream Team managers a valuable lesson; the ideal goalkeeper is one who keeps regularly clean sheets but also makes his fair share of saves.

Amid the chaos of this season, Onana has somehow struck an effective balance.

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