STATS ANALYSIS: Do Aberdeen have a goalkeeping problem?

It is every goalkeeper’s nightmare.

The last line of defence, the spotlight position where even the slightest mistake can result in a goal being conceded.

It is the one position on the pitch which attracts more scrutiny than any other and unfortunately for Aberdeen goalkeeper Joe Lewis, the spotlight is shining firmly on him for all the wrong reasons.

Lewis has been Mr Dependable at the Dons for so long that he has rarely, if ever, been doubted.

There has been the odd error, but then show us a goalkeeper who hasn’t made a mistake.

But it is the increasing frequency, not to mention Aberdeen’s complete and utter inability to keep a clean sheet which has inevitably had more and more eyes looking towards the Dons custodian.

Rewind the clock a few years and Lewis was firmly in the conversation for being the best shotstopper in Scottish football. If he was not in a class of his own, he was certainly in the top two.

His reliability led to him being promoted to the position of captain at Pittodrie by former boss Derek McInnes following Graeme Shinnie’s departure for Derby County.

Lewis’ numbers are down on previous campaigns, and his fellow Premiership goalkeepers

The last campaign was not a sterling one for the Dons as the goals dried up and their long-serving manager was sent on his way. Despite it all, Lewis kept 17 clean sheets in 35 games he played.

So far he has managed one. The percentage of shots saved is also noticeably down, dipping below 50% for the season as things stand. In fact, every measureable metric paints a gloomy picture, although it is still early in the campaign.

Joe Lewis’ season by season statistics for Aberdeen. 

It can feel as if you are kicking a man when he is down in highlighting the worrying trends of the season so far.

But to use the football cliche, the table doesn’t lie and the comparison between goalkeepers in the rest of the Premiership does little to alter the view it is just not clicking at Aberdeen just now – and we have to include Lewis in that.

The table, which is based on the xGOT metric, shows Opta reckon the Englishman has conceded 4.2 goals more than he should have based on the shots he’s faced this term. For context, Livingston’s Max Stryjek has, according to Opta, performed in line with what he would reasonably be expected to keep out, while St Johnstone’s Zander Clark is overperforming and has stopped 3.6 goals more than would generally be expected of him.

Despite some glimpses of what could be under Stephen Glass, the consistency remains in short supply at Aberdeen and perhaps Lewis more than anyone is feeling the brunt.

When fit and available, he has played throughout his time at Pittodrie, but the murmurs of whether he needs a break have been growing steadily louder.

Sunday’s haphazard 3-2 loss at St Mirren has done little to quieten the noise with a poor clearance leading from the goalkeeper starting the passage of play which led to Saints’ opener.

The presence of former Don Curtis Main then left Lewis taking a fresh air swipe when coming for a ball only to watch Marcus Fraser’s looping effort into the box bounce down and into the net.

Main can claim the last touch all he wants, but no matter what there is little doubt it should have been dealt with better.

Time will tell whether Dons boss Glass makes a change and brings in Gary Woods to take Lewis out of the firing line, but there seems little doubt the thought has crossed the Aberdeen manager’s mind.

Speaking after the St Mirren defeat he said: “He (Lewis) knows himself it was a bit of a mistake.

“That is maybe an understatement. I will speak to him about it during the week, we will point it out, and we will look at what happens this week.”

Opta, the statistical experts, certainly believe there is a case to be answered.

They point to the nine goals he has conceded in seven Premiership matches so far and reckon almost half of them should have been prevented.

Perhaps it is simply a coincidence but four shots low to the goalkeeper’s right have nestled in the back of the net so far.

Considering the opposition has mustered a combined total of 17 attempts on target in the seven games to date in the league it is worrying that more than half of them have resulted in goals being scored.

Lewis is too good not to put a disappointing run behind him. Some clean sheets – and better defending in front of him – would go a long way to rebuilding that confidence, but don’t be surprised if he is given a rest.