Tottenham End of Season Review: Hugo Lloris

Over the next two weeks, HotspurHQ will be covering all the ins and outs of Tottenham’s 2015/16 season, starting with a back to front player-by-player review. To start us out, predictably, will be goalkeeper Hugo Lloris

In a certain light, Tottenham having as talented a keeper as Hugo Lloris at the back seems like a waste.

He is, by even the most conservative estimates, one of the two or three best goalkeepers in the Premier League. If Tottenham’s defense allowed him to be tested more often, he might even by a clear-cut case for the best.

But, of course, Jan Vertonghen and company aren’t too keen to make their captain prove his worth. Together they sacrificed just 11.1 opposition shots per game according to WhoScored, with relatively few of those ever troubling Lloris.

Of the shots that did come his way, only 34 made it past him over his 37 matches, a dramatic improvement over the 53 he conceded last term. While much is owed to Tottenham’s overall defensive improvement, it helped tremendously to have such an agile and intelligent shot stopper as Lloris at the back.

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What takes Lloris to the next level is that that shot-stopping is really only half his game. He was far from bored this season, as he continued his quest to be remembered as among the best sweeper-keepers of his generation.

The concept of a sweeper-keeper isn’t a new one. As the libero  — the extra centre-back positioned in such a way to clean up after any mistakes or miscues from the defenders in front of him — was slowly removed from the modern game in favor of an additional attacking outfield player over the last generation, some uniquely talented keepers have used their mobility to fill both a traditional goalkeeping role as well as becoming an active participant in the defense.

Most clubs still prefer to go the safer route and enlist keepers who rarely stray from their lines. That makes perfect sense – it takes an exceptional mental and physical talent to cover the ground that Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer or Hugo Lloris cover in a match and still remain good shot-stoppers.

While Lloris wouldn’t close down each and every ball that came into his box this season, his ability to do so if required allowed both Vertonghen and Alderweireld to play in more advanced or wider positions than typical centre-backs might. His presence alone dramatically increases the effective area of the defense, and indirectly permits both full-backs to be more adventurous than would be possible in a more traditional keeper system.

Next: Five Tottenham Players Make Provisional England Squad

That facet of his game has arguably been his most crucial contribution this season, but it’s hard to discount how talented Lloris have been with the ball as well. Though he’s occasionally guilty of a poorly conceived clearance or pass straight to the opposition, in general he’s one of the best ball-passing keepers in the game. In a system like Tottenham’s that relies so much on build-up play, Lloris’ good eye for distribution comes in handy often.

Lloris did nothing this season to dissuade anyone of the fact that he’s one of the best in the world. Only his relatively limited action prevents us from giving him the full on ‘A’ grade he might deserve at a team that leaked far more shots than Tottenham’s defense did this term.

Final Grade: B+