Giorgi Mamardashvili's 2024/25 Was Great, It Just Needs Context

The statistics for Liverpool's new goalkeeper look concerning for this season. There's a vital piece of context which needs to be applied.

Shots on target faced by Alisson (some) and Mamardashvili (lots) this season

Liverpool’s first signing of the Arne Slot era effectively became their first of this summer too. Two for one; a genius move from Richard Hughes.

Maybe not, eh? The Reds bought Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia last August, only to immediately loan him back for the duration of 2024/25. He should be part of the squad for Liverpool’s Premier League title defence next season.

Even if Alisson Becker remains number one as expected, his new deputy is likely to get opportunities. The Brazilian missed 10 top flight games due to injury in 2024/25 for the second consecutive campaign, after only totting up 15 across his first five seasons with the club.

This chart shows when Alisson missed league matches through injury (black), went off injured (grey), was sent off (red) or was absent thanks to suspension or compassionate leave (orange). Some second choice goalkeepers rarely feature; that won’t be the case for Mamardashvili.

Having given the Georgian the once over when his signing was confirmed (here), it’s now time to assess how he fared this season. Here’s what he is up against if he wants to become Slot’s preferred custodian.

While Alisson was much the better performer against post-shot xG (PSxG), Mamardashvili was always likely to regress this term. By conceding 10.2 goals fewer than expected in 2023/24, the Liverpool new boy recorded one of the best campaigns of shot stopping in the advanced data era.

If you need evidence this form wouldn’t be maintained, Alisson followed a +10.1 campaign in 2022/23 by going a shade under expectation the following year (-0.3). Mamardashvili still saved 1.1 goals above the PSxG he faced this season, even if he couldn’t keep pace with the brilliant Becker.

When looking at data, it’s important to acknowledge the importance of factors beyond the player in question. This is arguably more true for a goalkeeper than for any other position. Were they stood behind a wall of bricks or a house of cards? It really matters.

Mamardashvili’s 2024/25 campaign must be viewed through this lens, thanks to a mid-season managerial change Valencia implemented. Splitting the stopper’s stats between the two gaffers reveals reasons for Kopites to remain very optimistic about the Georgian’s potential.