Football may have changed beyond all recognition in the past 50 years and more but one thing has remained constant. The goalkeeper can often be made the scapegoat. He is certainly in the most vulnerable position.
There has been so much scrutiny on keeper Anthony Patterson after his error against Hull City and he will not have enjoyed the moment when he effectively palmed the ball into his own net from a corner.
The reality of a defeat coming off the back of that mistake was cruel on Patterson. It should not have been the moment that decided the game.
Joe Gelhardt’s delivery was whipped into the near post and there is no doubt he should have come and claimed it.
Black Cats’ fans have been asking for Patterson to be replaced, which I think is harsh given that the statistics suggest he is having a decent season. A closer look at the stats and figures according to FBRef show that the Sunderland stopper’s PSxG, the metric used to evaluate a goalkeeper’s shot-stopping ability, is not only +4.8 on where it should be, but is also the eighth best in the Championship. James Trafford and Michael Cooper, who play for promotion rivals Burnley and Sheffield United, respectively, are above him but Patterson is up there in that aspect of his game.
When it comes to commanding his box, which obviously he didn’t do well enough in that Hull incident, his cross-stoppage percentage ranks 13th with a tally of 4.9 percent—higher than the aforementioned Trafford, among others. In terms of his distribution, Patterson is again performing admirably compared to his peers in the second tier.
It’s wholly understandable that the Sunderland supporters want their team to be promoted and looking for reasons why that might not happen is a natural thing to do. But there are other aspects of the team that can be considered just as much of a hindrance to the club’s promotion chances.
Zonal marking at set-pieces has been a big issue in recent matches, not least at Leeds, when two poor goals from a defensive point of view were conceded late on. Did Patrick Roberts need to be right on the front post impeding Patterson when the corner against Hull came in? I’m not sure he did.
There is always the argument that zones don’t score goals, players do, and there’s a lot to be said for that.
Also, there isn’t anybody calling for Wilson Isidor to be dropped after he was equally culpable for Sunderland losing against the Tigers. If you are presented with a chance served up on a plate like the one he was by Trai Hume, you expect your striker to hit the net from inside six yards. A goal then could have changed the outcome and taken the flak off Patterson.
When all is said and done, the keeper is not especially hampering the team, nor is he a weak link, when others could be accused of being that too.
And let us not forget the error Leeds keeper Illan Meslier made against the Black Cats earlier in the season at the Stadium of Light when he effectively lost his team two points at the death. He has since been slated by Leeds supporters, saying his continual errors will cost their club promotion.
And yet there he was against Sheffield United on Monday night, still in the team, helping them to a massive win which has made them 1/200 odds-on for the title.
It may be that Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris will look to rest Patterson against Sheffield Wednesday on Friday night. But he has been especially loyal to his core players so it remains to be seen.
Remember Dan Neil’s start to the season? He was a liability at times but came through that spell thanks to the backing of the boss.
We’ll see whether that’s the case with Patterson.
