Stats behind Patterson and Hoffmann's Cats performances
When the summer transfer window ended in August last year, Anthony Patterson was Sunderland’s third-choice goalkeeper.
Admittedly, there wasn’t much to choose between the Black Cats academy graduate, new signing Thorben Hoffmann and Lee Burge, yet the competition for places meant Patterson was sent out on loan to National League side Notts County.
Fast forward six months and the 20-year-old from North Shields is back at Sunderland and has kept four clean sheets in the side’s last five matches.
Patterson took his opportunity when 22-year-old Hoffmann, who was a regular starter under Lee Johnson, was absent through illness earlier this year, and the former has played every minute since the arrival of new boss Alex Neil.
So how do the two keepers compare?
The obvious place to start is the number of goals they have conceded.
Patterson has been beaten 14 times in his 13 League One appearances this season (an average of a goal every 1.08 matches), while Hoffmann has let in 31 goals in 23 league appearances (an average of 1.35 goals per game).
Within those figures Patterson has kept five clean sheets, meaning he has kept a clean sheet in 38.5% of his appearances.
That is a higher percentage than Hoffmann, who has kept eight shutouts in the league this term, meaning he has kept clean sheets in 34.8% of his starts.
Clearly, though, there is a need for context as nine of Patterson’s 14 league appearances came under Neil, who has made Sunderland a stronger defensive unit.
When Hoffmann has played this season, the side’s expected goals conceded average is 1.3 goals per game (according to Wyscout), while that figure drops to 1.13 when Patterson has been between the sticks.
Still, while he has faced fewer shots, Patterson has recorded a higher save percentage of 73.02% - compared to Hoffmann’s 68.04% - this season.
One area which attracted particular attention at the start of the campaign was Hoffmann’s distribution and passing skills, with the Black Cats keen to try and play out from the back under Johnson.
The stats show the German is more likely to play the ball short, averaging 16.65 short passes per game with a 98.1% accuracy score.
That is higher than Patterson, who has averaged 12.29 short passes per match, with 99.4% accuracy, yet interestingly the latter fares better when it comes to the more challenging long passes.
Patterson has averaged 7.42 long passes per game with a 75.2% accuracy score, while Hoffmann has attempted 5.08 long passes per match with 70.% of them finding a Sunderland team-mate.
The Black Cats have an option to sign the German permanently from parent club Bayern Munich at the end of the season, yet if Patterson continues to perform well it’s likely they will favour the homegrown player.
Every position will naturally be assessed in the summer, when Sunderland’s divisional status is confirmed.
The club will then have to decide if they need to sign a new, potentially more experienced, first-choice goalkeeper.
At present, though, Patterson holds the shirt and deserves to keep it.