Reflecting on the Tottenham Hotspur season: Goalkeeping

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LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 21: Hugo Lloris of Tottenham Hotspur looks on during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 21, 2021, in London, United Kingdom. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images) /

Before the craziness of the transfer market gets going too much, we need to reflect back on the season that was for Tottenham Hotspur and we are starting with the goalkeepers. There was some transition in the keeper room at N17 as Paulo Gazzaniga fell down the pecking order and Joe Hart came in. Of course, the main piece of the Tottenham goalkeeping puzzle is Hugo Lloris.

Lloris bounced back from a bad injury

Hugo Lloris was not exactly having the best campaign in 2019/20 when he was injured. However, the fact that he has come back from such a horrific injury and played as well as he did is a real testament to Hugo as a player. Lloris’ 75.7% save percentage is above his career average of 73.6 and the best percentage in a full season since 2016/17.

The problem was that he faced way too many shots on target. The 144 shots on target Lloris faced were the most given up by Tottenham since 2014/15. While Hugo Lloris was good, saving three out of every four shots on target he faced, he likely did not expect to face 144 shots. In fact, Lloris’ 111 saves are the most he has ever had for Tottenham in a Premier League season.

As a result of all the shots Lloris faced, he conceded 45 goals in the league, the most since 2014/15. And while Hugo was fourth in the league with 12 clean sheets, as many as he kept in 2018/19, his clean sheet percentage was his lowest since 14/15.

While clearly the defense and some of the associated errors were a cause of the high goal tally, at 34, there are simply some things Lloris does not do like he used to.

Back in 2017/18, Hugo Lloris had 37 sweeper actions, according to Premier League statistics. However, this past season, Lloris had five. A trait that was once considered one of his strongest – the ability to come out and play sweeper – has seemingly disappeared. Add in what has become mediocre distribution – at best – and Lloris’ best days are certainly behind him.

After playing all 38 matches for the first time for Spurs and facing a barrage of shots, Lloris certainly must be thinking about his future. With only 1 year remaining on his current deal, who the new coach will be and the approach they take will be very important to Hugo. This was a bounce-back year in many respects but still a down year overall with too many rebounds and goals against.

Likely if Hugo does not sign an extension this summer, the club will look to move him in January before he can walk on a free transfer.

So Lloris had an okay season, what about his back-ups?