Euro 2024 Spotlight: Angus Gunn
From a disasterclass against Germany to heartbreak against Hungary, Scotland’s Euro 2024 campaign was short and disappointing. 28-year-old Angus Gunn minded the net and showed plenty of uncomfortable moments in a summer to forget, and in this article we will take a closer look at his performances in shot-stopping, distribution, and sweeping. Data in this article is sourced from UEFA, while the analysis has been completed via video from WyScout. For a deeper dive into the methodology I use for scouting and analyzing goalkeepers, please check out “A Beginner’s Guide to Scouting Goalkeepers”.
Shot-Stopping
Utilizing the seven principles of goalkeeping identified by Fenway Sports Group’s Global Head of Goalkeeping Hans Leitert, every shot that Angus Gunn faced can be graded as one of the following:
- Must Saves: If it is harder for a goalkeeper to let this shot go in than it is to stop, it is a must save — these are often shots directly at the goalkeeper
- Should Saves: These shots require a bit of movement, but nothing too extreme — usually no extensions are needed to reach these. For example, a goalkeeper needs to simply “fall” to his/her right to stop this, this is a should save
- Can Saves: These shots require extension dives/movements, but still can be reached more often than not. Many of these are where you can see a goalkeeper’s technical abilities and execution of skills.
- Top Class Saves: These shots must be executed with technical perfection if the goalkeeper is going to save this. While it is technically possible, it often is not expected — when they are not stopped, it can sometimes be hard to decipher these as “top class” or “impossible” — you just have to have experience.
- Impossible to Save: Exactly as the category suggests, it is simply impossible to get to these shots.
Angus Gunn had 19 non-penalty save opportunities during his Euro campaign, with his worst moment coming from the 10' goal scored by Florian Wirtz in the first match. Gunn managed to get a glove on the driven shot but couldn’t redirect it wide in what should have been a save. Beyond this moment, Gunn’s performances were as expected. The must saves were saved, while the difficult shots were not.
A concerning aspect of Angus Gunn’s shot-stopping was his handling. Despite the small sample size, Gunn did not hold onto a single shot that was graded as more difficult than “Must Save”. Based on my previous research on handling, 30% of should save opportunities should be held onto. Handling is not as critical as some make it out to be, but Gunn’s conceding of rebound opportunities certainly caused more stress for his defenders.
Distribution
When evaluating distribution, there is a factor to consider that data just is not yet able to accurately do. Data keeps distribution purely as if the pass was completed or not completed. It does not consider if the incomplete pass was due to poor accuracy (making it hard to receive), the teammate struggling in duels, or the opposition challenging for the ball just simply being more talented. In this section, distribution will be analyzed in a very similar manner as shot-stopping.
- Must Receive: This pass is likely to be your simple short pass to a central defender that is not contested by the opposition, usually after a restart
- Should Receive: An example of this pass to be at a medium range to a wide player that is facing a press
- Hard to Receive: This pass can be the long ball to the forward resulting in an aerial battle with an opponent
- Impossible to Receive: This pass is in row z
- Note: Some distributions were unavailable to be graded due to available video
Angus Gunn’s distribution report can certainly tell a story, as he had a clear preference of playing longer passes over to the right side while keeping his shorter distributions either central or to the left towards Andy Robertson instead of Anthony Ralston on the right. While most of Gunn’s distributions were graded as hard to receive, given the more direct play attempted that leads to aerial battles, he was often let down by his receivers.
For Angus Gunn, his on the ball ability was his greatest liability in the tournament. He looked incredibly uncomfortable when facing pressure on the ball and he consistently had only an average strength/distance in his kicks. While he is 28 and unlikely to improve much more, this is an aspect of his play I would hope to see improve in future Scotland duties.
Exits
When coming off the line, a goalkeeper ideally times his/her exit to attack the ball and comfortably regain possession or clear away the danger. Overall, Angus Gunn showed plenty of confidence coming off the line and his timing was mostly correct.
Without wanting to dive into too much detail on a single incident, this analysis would not be complete without a closer look at Gunn’s exit and the incident with Barnabás Varga, who is thankfully going to be okay. Gunn’s exit off his line was correct — it was confident and had no hesitation. He attacked the ball and made contact with the ball, redirecting the danger while colliding. This incident was certainly a moment of hard contact and has brought up conversations of if the rules of play are too lenient for goalkeepers working through opposition, but for now this was acceptable.
Despite the contact with Varga, Angus Gunn displayed plenty of quality coming off the line for Scotland and this is certainly his most positive aspect of play.
Summary
Angus Gunn’s Euro performances could be described as incredibly average. His shot-stopping is just what you would expect it to be, excluding one underwhelming moment. Gunn’s distribution has room for improvement, but his ability and bravery coming off the line was admirable. Scotland’s performances resulted in heartbreak, but Gunn can be satisfied that he grew into the tournament after a rough start against the host nation.
If you enjoyed this article, stay tuned throughout the tournament for goalkeeper spotlights along with many more articles planned throughout the upcoming months. You can also find me on Twitter @ARDataAnalysis. Thanks for reading!
