Agile Aaron Ramsdale looks a serious contender to start in goal for England

Bookmakers reckon they know the identities of the three England goalkeepers Gareth Southgate will take to this year's World Cup finals as Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale and Nick Pope are all long odds-on to make the squad.

The question of who should start for England has come under closer scrutiny following the rave reviews Ramsdale has earned for his performances since joining Arsenal last summer.

Unfortunately, an ill-timed hip injury forced him to withdraw from Southgate's latest squad and the incumbent Pickford made the most of his rival's absence, producing some crucial saves to help England defeat Switzerland 2-1 in Saturday's Wembley friendly.

The accompanying graph analyses the Premier League's regular starting goalkeepers this season. Those towards the top of the chart have prevented the most goals, according to the post-shot expected-goals figure (PSxG) of on-target shots they have faced, once factoring in their placement and speed.

Ramsdale has shown excellent agility and he made a blistering start to his Arsenal career, making a number of high-profile saves early on.

He has since dropped back into the pack from a basic shot-stopping perspective, as a couple of the goals conceded recently in Arsenal's games against Liverpool and Watford have counted against him.

But Ramsdale still ranks ahead of Everton's Pickford this season – as he had done in the last two campaigns when he was playing for Sheffield United and Bournemouth.

Pickford, established as Southgate's number-one keeper, has never let down England, playing important roles at the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020, and he is also capable of making highlight-reel saves.

However, the 28-year-old has never quite been able to dispel the notion that he concedes too many slightly 'soft' goals. Last season, for example, 12 of the 48 goals Pickford's Everton side conceded were from shots outside of the box, the highest proportion in the league.

While shot-stopping is a keeper's main task, PSxG doesn't tell the whole story as some custodians are better at preventing shots on target in the first place – either by snuffing out crosses, sweeping up through balls, or narrowing angles and reducing time for a striker in one-on-ones (a particular strength of Ramsdale that shot-stopping stats tend to underplay).

The goalies towards the right of the graph have been the most successful at intercepting crosses this term and in that department only Brighton's Robert Sanchez has been better than Ramsdale.

The Gunners cat has also been slightly more active than Pickford in terms of coming off his line and sweeping up dangerous through balls, averaging 0.79 defensive actions outside his penalty area per game compared to Pickford's 0.68.

Good proactive decision-making from a keeper is an effective way to raise a team's defensive level as a whole.

That may well be one reason why Sanchez and Brentford's David Raya were selected by Luis Enrique in the latest Spain squad ahead of Manchester United's David de Gea. Despite an excellent season in terms of shot-stopping, De Gea is one of the most passive goalkeepers in the Premier League.

Pickford's distribution is often regarded as one of his biggest assets, helping him secure number-one status for England, but Ramsdale's range of passing for Arsenal this season has also been excellent.

It is a clear advantage that both have over Burnley's Pope, who has regained his form in the second half of the season.

The Clarets stopper launches the highest rate of long balls in the division, and he still needs to prove to Southgate that he is comfortable in possession.

In his most recent appearance for England last March, a slack pass to John Stones put the Manchester City defender under pressure and led to Poland's goal in a tense 2-1 World Cup qualifying win for the Three Lions.

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