Jose Sa was starting for Wolves again on Saturday against Bournemouth, and the Portuguese stopper had a bit of a nightmare.
Wolves crashed to a 4-2 defeat against the Cherries at Molineux, and gifted the visitors three penalties.
Jorgen Strand Larsen scored two goals for the hosts. But his efforts went to waste in the end, and not for the first time this season.
Gary O’Neil decided to stick with Mario Lemina and Toti Gomes at the back, despite having Craig Dawson and Santiago Bueno fit and available.
Both players struggled, with Toti conceding the first penalty inside the first couple of minutes.
But it was a really bad day at the office for Jose Sa against Bournemouth, having also been unable to save any of the penalties, after giving two of them away himself.
And that has got some people thinking about his penalty record.
Jose Sa’s penalty record compared to Rui Patricio
Jose Sa of Wolverhampton Wanderers during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and AFC Bournemouth at Molineux on November 3...
Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images
Some have noted that Jose Sa seems to have faced quite a lot of penalties during his time as the Molineux number one.
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It feels as though he doesn’t actually save any, but what actually is his record?
As per Transfermarket, Sa has faced 24 in total during his three-and-a-bit seasons at Wolves and a whopping 22 of those have found the back of the net. That’s a 91.6% conversion rate against him. He has saved just two, giving him a save percentage of just 8.3%
Jose Sa for Wolves (2021-present) Rui Patricio for Wolves (2018-2021)
Penalties faced – 24 Penalties faced – 16
Penalties saved – 2 Penalties saved – 3
Save rate – 8.3% Save rate – 18.75%
After Saturday’s game, there was a bit of talk about Rui Patricio, with many missing the former stopper, who spent three seasons with the club before leaving to join AS Roma.
Patricio also didn’t really have the best penalty record – but it was certainly better than Sa’s.
Patricio faced 16 during his time at Wolves (via Transfermarket), conceding 13 but saving three. That was an 81.2% conversion rate against him, and he had a save percentage of 18.75%.
Disappointing numbers for Sa
The penalty taker statistically has the advantage on spot-kicks, so goalkeepers can’t be criticised too much when it comes to this.
However, a save rate of just over 8% for Sa is quite disappointing.
The Portugal international just rarely seems to get anywhere near the ball when penalties are taken against him, suggesting he either needs to study the opposition penalty takers better, or get stronger hands on the ball.
On the whole, he’s been a decent goalkeeper during his time at Wolves. Yes, he’s had some very erratic moments. But he’s been a capable Premier League stopper too.
However, it’s clear that saving penalties really isn’t his forte, which is why the defenders cannot be giving them away so easily and exposing him to that situation.
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