Not too long ago, it has surfaced that former Brighton switch goal Kevin Mier has a considerably eccentric type of play over within the Liga MX. Residing between the sticks, more often than not, the Colombian 24-year-old has performed 25 instances for Cruz Azul, protecting 13 clear sheets in all competitions.
Mier takes the function of sweeper-keeper to a complete new stage. Usually, he finds himself according to the centre-backs, enjoying off them and offering the group with an additional participant for his or her build-up play.
The well-decorated Colombian joined Cruz Azul in January of 2024, having received the Colombian Cup twice, the Tremendous Cup as soon as, and the Colombian League as soon as with Atletico Nacional.
Having value Cruz Azul £5 Million, they sat comfortably on the highest of the desk, having solely conceded 12 targets. Nonetheless, his erratic play type does have its drawbacks…
Expensive within the Cup
Leaping into the knockout part of the league, Cruz Azul would make their solution to the semi-finals. It was right here that they’d come up towards Membership America.
After a well-earned clear sheet away from house, Cruz Azul held the benefit heading into their house leg. Nonetheless, after a fast objective, Kevin Mier was overwhelmed at his far publish after quarter-hour, and the stress mounted on the house facet.
After halftime and trying to find an equalizer, Kevin Mier joined the backline of their build-up play. Nonetheless, after a defender offers up possession sloppily, Mier is well lobbed and has to select the ball out of his web shamefully.
When it really works, it’s unimaginable to look at. Though, when it doesn’t, it isn’t very nice, particularly as a supporter. This could possibly be why Brighton opted towards signing him in the summertime. Or, it could possibly be that he solely only recently joined Cruz Azul and needed to see out the season.
Might we see a renewed curiosity in January now that the Mexican season is almost over? I positive hope so.
Pep’s Affect
Since Pep Guardiola has joined Manchester Metropolis, we’ve seen extra groups making an attempt to play out from the again. Amongst this, the emergence of the sweeper keeper function has turn into way more distinguished within the British recreation.
Most groups like their Goalkeepers to play out from the again and be comfy with the ball at their ft. Following the likes of Ederson and Alisson, Kevin Mier takes this to the following stage.
Certainly, a keeper like Mier may entice Guardiola and even Brighton, who should see the potential revenue margins in signing him. Both means, it positive can be thrilling to look at him within the heights of the Premier League.
Becoming a member of an Elite Membership
South America and the Americas typically have a behavior of manufacturing eccentric Goalkeepers. Gamers like Ederson and Alisson are extra toned down however nonetheless possess these qualities—Ederson along with his confidence on the ball and Alisson’s need to take dangers.
The best scoring Goalkeeper in historical past is Rogerio Ceni, who scored 131 targets all through his profession. Being a prolific scorer from set-piece conditions definitely helped in that regard. His one hundredth objective got here from a free kick that was 25 yards out. Highest-scoring prolific scoring from set-piece got here from a 25-yard free kick.
Subsequent up is Paraguayan shot-stopper Jose Luis Chilavert, who amassed a whopping 67 targets from between the sticks. Included in that tally was a really spectacular hat trick of penalties, making him the one goalkeeper in historical past to attain a hat trick.
Individuals will always remember the well-known Scorpion kick from Goalkeeper Rene Higuita, or ‘El Loco’. All through his profession, he has amassed 43 targets, considered one of which was an audacious shot from his penalty space. The Colombian madman will probably be remembered for hundreds of years to come back.
Kevin Mier: The Numbers
It’s all good to reward his eccentricity, however is Kevin Mier, even a very good goalkeeper?
As soon as once more, I used ‘Soccer Statistics and Historical past | FBref.com‘ to assist determine this out. I will probably be speaking about percentiles. The upper the percentile, the higher the participant performs in these areas.
Kevin Mier finds himself within the 94th percentile for clear sheets per 90 minutes and the 94th percentile for targets towards per 90. We should think about that he primarily performs within the Mexican league, the place you possibly can query the standard of his opposition. Nonetheless, a few of these matches will probably be continental competitions as nicely.
He appears to be an completed shot-stopper, and his eccentricity can be evident.
Mier additionally ranks within the 82nd percentile for lengthy go completion per 90 minutes, the 91st percentile for passes tried per 90 minutes, and the 88th percentile for defensive actions outdoors the penalty space per 90 minutes.
Kevin Mier appears to be the right sweeper keeper when issues from a statistics perspective.
Kevin Mier vs Ilan Meslier
Utilizing the identical web site, I may examine Kevin Mier to that of final season’s Championship Golden Glove winner, Ilan Meslier.
Stats-wise, they’re very comparable, with Ilan Meslier barely bettering Kevin Mier in most areas. Meslier competing within the Championship and Mier competing outdoors of Europe, I believe, makes this a good comparability.
If a Premier League group had been trying to find a goalkeeper, Kevin Mier can be significantly cheaper than Meslie,r for instance, because of his significance to Leeds and their monetary scenario.
Certainly, Kevin Mier is price taking a punt on, and I hope to see his eccentricity within the Premier League very quickly.
