Behind the numbers of Alexander Nübel's amazing season!
He has been one of the major players in the Rouge et Blanc‘s winning run! With victories in their last three matches; in Ligue 1 in the Derby (1-0) and against OL this weekend (2-1), as well as in the Europa League against Red Star Belgrade (1-0), the AS Monaco players finally seem to have hit their strid. This current run was triggered in large part by a regained defensive solidity, symbolized by the performances of one man: Alexander Nübel.
The current top goalkeeper in Ligue 1
And for good reason, as the numbers prove! With 31 saves in Ligue 1 before Lyon came to the Stade Louis-II Sunday, he was already the most decisive goalkeepers in the league, according to data from our partner Opta. It’s a place that was not contradicted by his massive performance against one of the teams that have been the least successful against the Rouge et Blanc in recent seasons. Indeed, Alex “The wall” was again in action, with five saves against Les Gones‘ attackers.
Can't stop watching this 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐱 𝐍𝐮̈𝐛𝐞𝐥 sensational save! 🧤🧱 pic.twitter.com/MN0KNKTzpb
— AS Monaco EN (@AS_Monaco_EN) September 13, 2022
He notably kept out Alexandre Lacazette (53′), and was then sharp again at the beginning of added time to stop Moussa Dembélé’s point-blank shot, allowing the score to remain 2-1 (89′). Undoubtedly the stronges part of his game, with his saves not unlike those of a handball goalkeeper. Far from being a stranger to sealing three points for Philippe Clement’s men, he had already been decisive in added time against Red Star Belgrade (91′).
Three MVPs in ten days!
This had earned him the title of man of the match in Serbia (making five saves), as he had been against Troyes, where he had kept his team afloat despite having been reduced to ten men. With 36 saves now in the league (including 25 shots from inside the penalty area), he remains the goalkeeper who has made the most saves in the top flight over the first seven rounds, ahead of Clermont goalkeeper Mory Diaw (33).
Most saves on Matchday 1 🧤#UEL pic.twitter.com/VxsH1bOYpO
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) September 13, 2022
In addition to making good work in his net, he also had an 88% rate against OL. He thus proved that he was the first line of attack for his team, as evidenced by his rate of successful passes in the AS Monaco half of the pitch: 85% since the start of the exercise, as well as his success with long balls, which is almost one in two (42%).
An average score of 7.23 on Sofascore
Playing very high up the pitch, as shown by his heatmap (above) since the start of the season (Sofascore), he also allows his defense to build play from the back. It was therefore not surprising to have already seen him appear twice in the Team of the week as named by the data specialist across his seven starts in Ligue 1, with an average score of 7.23 out of 10. The Monegasque number 16 has averaged 5.1 saves/game to date. The result, two clean sheets across the last three games…Well done Alex!
#UEL Alexander Nübel 💪💪💪
Il te fait penser à qui ce gardien…#UELvideo | @AS_Monaco pic.twitter.com/jOuCul2e8x— L'UEFA 🇫🇷 (@UEFAcom_fr) September 10, 2022
