Champions League: Diogo Costa, the “star” that Casillas anticipated that’s the historical past of the Champions League

Porto has begun to ‘repair’ its journey within the Champions League by closing its goalkeeper. After beginning with two defeats (2-1 in opposition to Atltico Madrid and 0-3 in opposition to Bruges) the ‘dragons’ have consecutively overwhelmed Leverkusen (2-0 and 0-3) and the Belgian crew (0-4) entering into the spherical of 16 with a Diogo Costa impassable.

“Diogo is within the video games to defend. If not, we would not have goalkeepers. However, in fact, it is tough to save lots of penalties! He would not want my reward so that everybody understands that he’s the perfect Portuguese goalkeeper in the present day”, Sergio Conceiao identified after a of his final exhibitions in Europe. Porto’s coach surrendered to his ‘padlock’.

The Portuguese goalkeeper has stopped penalties consecutively in opposition to Schick, Demirbay and Lang. Since there may be knowledge from Opta (2003-04) it’s the first goalkeeper to ‘save’ three penalties in a Champions League. It is event historical past. And all with comparable interventions, for the reason that three have been to his left at mid-height.

They’ve been so comparable that in all of them he has acquired pitches with energy and in all of them he has put in a superb onerous proper hand. first went to Schick within the first match in opposition to Bayer.

After to Dermibay within the return match. The similarity makes it nearly seem to be the identical launch.

And at last, to idiomwhich he launched after Vanaken beforehand noticed how he was stopped by one other that was ordered to be repeated.

“I do know the unhealthy occasions will come. It will not all the time be proper, however I work onerous to maintain the errors at bay,” stated Costa after shining on the Jan Breydelstadion. His eight clear sheets in 15 video games between all tournaments this marketing campaign (he has barely conceded six targets in 10 Primeira Liga video games) spotlight the qualities of a 23-year-old footballer who was the Finest Goalkeeper final season in Portugal. In his first course settled in possession he left.

After all these clear sheets is just not the perfect indicator to guage a goalkeeper, since to attain them additionally the defensive work of the entire crew is essential. If we have a look at the map of pictures that he has confronted in his league and within the Champions League, we will recognize the variety of pictures which have needed to be constituted of distant positions or with a decreased angle.

Yellow dots imply that the standard of these pictures was not the best. Quite the opposite, he has hardly acquired pictures from the small space and, even so, he has stopped greater than those that have marked him. This speaks extremely of how Porto has defended to guard their goalkeeper. Not in useless, he’s the fourth goalkeeper within the Champions League who receives simpler pictures between sticks.

Thus, it’s higher to speak in regards to the targets that Diogo has prevented primarily based on the standard of the pictures he has confronted. On this sense, it may be ensured that Costa is displaying an important degree. Within the Portuguese league regardless of these seven targets has prevented 2.2 than it ought to. In Champions it goes as much as 2.5 (He has conceded six).

Between each competitions are 12 targets conceded when they need to have been about 7.3. The rivals have needed to regulate his pictures lots to make him a objective. The place essentially the most harm has been finished to him has been right down to his leftwith 6 targets from 13 pictures. By now he has solely had one 54% success. In the remainder of the zones (if we divide the objective into six components, she has stopped at the least greater than two thirds in every of them.

foot insurance coverage

Nevertheless it’s not simply his sleight of hand and reflexes that impress. With the toes is one other insurance coveragea really worthwhile choice for his friends. It would not really feel prefer it burns each time he will get a cross. And above all has a big lengthy displacementable to producing hazard for rivals and that Porto exploits very effectively.

Allow them to inform Bayer Leverkusen. That is how the Dragons crew went forward of their 4-0 win. Diogo receives with sufficient house to assume. He has the 2 middle backs on each side to play quick and never take dangers.

Instantly he sees the motion on the left wing of Galen, who throws the unmarking (doesn’t seem within the picture). Diogo sees him and sends him the ball.

The cross goes so exactly that it goes on to the foot of his associate. Galeno then finishes the play with a number of class, however that cross from Diogo Costa broke a static protection merely with a cross.

Within the Champions League, in truth, it’s the third goalkeeper who has accomplished essentially the most passes of greater than 35 meters each 90 minutes, with 7.6. The common size of all his passes is 34.3 metersthe fifth highest within the competitors. This demonstrates, on the one hand, Porto’s fashion of play on the subject of the ball and, on the identical time, how a lot the crew trusts its goalkeeper’s lengthy motion.

perhaps his largest handicap is within the balls ignored. Within the lateral facilities it’s tough for the realm to exit beneath sticks and clear. His share is just not very excessive. Taking the Portuguese league as a measure, it faces some 12 facilities for each 90 minutes, repelling simply 0.6, which is a meager 5%.

There is no such thing as a doubt that his efficiency on the worldwide degree is being very excessive. The Champions League is a superb showcase and Diogo Costa is profiting from it.

Along with his high quality beneath the sticks, Diogo Costa is excellent at going out and taking part in together with his toes

Maniche, former Portugal worldwide

“He is a star, he will be an important goalkeeper”, warns Iker Casillas when he met him at Do Dragao. Criticism already locations him on the ‘high’ and on the agenda of the ‘greats’. “Diogo is just not solely now the most effective goalkeepers in Europe, he is among the greatest on the planet. He can turn out to be the costliest goalkeeper ever. He’s already on the degree of the perfect,” highlighted the previous Portuguese worldwide Maniche in ‘Diario de Information’. The previous Atlético de Madrid participant additionally described his qualities.

Starter in Qatar with Portugal

“Along with his high quality beneath the sticks, he is excellent at going out and taking part in together with his toes. It is a attribute of contemporary goalkeepers that nice coaches significantly recognize. As well as, he has nice imaginative and prescient and, regardless of his age, additionally nice charisma and presence in objective”, defined Maniche. At 23, Costa is getting ready to begin in Qatar with Portugal. Fernando Santos gave him the ‘1 ‘ within the final two video games in opposition to the Czech Republic and Spain.

“I used to be born in Switzerland, however I returned to Porto once I was seven years outdated and I all the time had a ardour for soccer. All the trouble of my dad and mom has been value it. I wish to be in comparison with nice goalkeepers (Vitor Baa, Casillas…), however I solely take into consideration my path, doing the perfect I can… and the longer term will inform”, stated the goalkeeper. He’s in his ‘prime’ and the World Cup is coming.