Carragher's comments on Manchester United goalkeeper Onana in his podcast sparked some discussion. He begins by recognizing Onana's ability in ball control and footwork, but also expresses doubts about his performance as a goalkeeper.
It is clear from Carragher's comments that his criteria for judging goalkeepers are not limited to footwork or ball control, but focus more on the traditional duties of a goalkeeper, i.e. the ability to defend and save in front of the goal. He believes that although goalkeepers in modern soccer are increasingly involved in the offensive organization of the team, their primary task is still to protect the goal and reduce the number of goals conceded.
For Onana, his performance in Manchester United does show a certain double-sided nature. On the one hand, his footwork and ball control skills provide some help to the team's attacking organization, especially when facing high-pressure pressing, he is able to calmly handle the ball and find the right route to the ball. On the other hand, statistically speaking, Onana has conceded 89 goals in 55 matches, a relatively high figure that may reflect that he still needs to improve his defense and saving ability in front of the goal.
Of course, evaluating a goalkeeper's performance needs to take into account a number of aspects, including the team's overall defensive ability, the strength of the opponents, and the specifics of the match. Therefore, we can't completely dismiss Onana's ability just based on Carragher's comments or a single statistic.
