Aston Villa fans still sing about having the world’s number one goalkeeper. But what started as a chant for Emiliano Martinez and morphed into defiant support for young Japanese goalkeeper Zion Suzuki has become something else. They actually believe it.
Suzuki has been superb since joining from Parma in the summer. Not only has Martinez not been as missed as many anticipated, there is growing optimism that in his 24-year-old replacement, Villa have a goalkeeper who has even more facets to his game.
There have been some standout displays already. Suzuki was excellent in the win over Manchester City last time out, ending their 100-per-cent Premier League record under Enzo Maresca. The contrast with Gianluigi Donnarumma at the other end was stark.
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While the Champions League winner allowed Nicolas Jackson’s decider to go through him, Suzuki pulled off a series of stops, relieved pressure with his claims and looked far more composed with the ball at his feet. Only one of the two looked world class.
Suzuki saves from Vedat Muriqi in Aston Villa’s win over Fenerbahce
Suzuki had been identified by Paris Saint-Germain as a potential long-term replacement for Donnarumma, who left last year. But mooted plans to loan him out to continue his development helped convince the player that the plans at Villa were preferable.
“He is ambitious,” explained his manager Unai Emery when asked about Suzuki following that performance against City. “It is very important, his mentality. He is very ambitious himself. He chose to be here with us when we spoke with him about our project.”
Suzuki is one of the reasons why fans are excited about Villa’s refresh. The challenge given the changes in personnel was always going to be embracing Emery’s ideas quickly given that they famously take time to grasp. But the goalkeeper has adapted swiftly.
There are traits that he shares with Martinez. Most notably, Suzuki has caught a cross more often than any other goalkeeper this season – with two exceptions, one of whom is Martinez. He has a similar presence in that penalty area. But there are differences too.
Passing sonars of Aston Villa goalkeepers compared after Suzuki replaced Emi Martinez
It is Suzuki’s work in the build-up that has caught the eye. It had to be a strength because it is so important in Emery’s system. “We need one ‘keeper first to save us in the goal. But as well we need one ‘keeper to try to help us in our build-up,” the Villa boss explained.
“In build-up he is a really fantastic player because he can play short, he can understand where to break the opponent’s press. He also has good qualities to do long ball and get our players in attack. We are very impressed how he adapted so quickly to the task.”
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Suzuki does not bait the press quite as much as Martinez did. Nor is he quite so proficient at the angled pass out wide. But he has undoubtedly brought greater variety to Villa’s distribution thanks to his extraordinary ability to punch passes long with either foot.
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There was an early glimpse of that on his debut against Arsenal. One arrowed Suzuki strike was described by Gary Neville on co-commentary for Sky Sports as “one of the best passes” that he had ever seen. His superior speed and range of pass sets him apart.
Suzuki’s successful passes show his passing range
Factor in his remarkable reflexes when moving rapidly along his line and his shot-stopping has been a strength too. There is some noise in the goals-prevented data at this early stage of the season but the numbers still suggest that he saved more shots than expected.
Interestingly, the figures for expected goals do not include those openings for the opposition that did not result in shots. In the case of Suzuki, in particular, that is significant because his ability to come off his line and sweep up behind Villa’s high line is a major asset.
Suzuki ranks second behind Leeds’ James Trafford for the number of sweeper-keeper regains made per 90 minutes, indicative of his ability to snuff out chances before they happen. But for the Villa supporters, Suzuki does not rank second – he is their number one.
He is a symbol of their refresh and still improving. “How he is every day working, every day showing his desires to work strong to get as best as possible, is really fantastic,” said Emery. And why what could have been a problem for Villa is starting to look like an upgrade.
