Nick Pope’s encouraging Newcastle start shows that he is one of the best in the Premier League

When you think of Nick Pope, you automatically picture the big shot-stopper in the Burnley goal, playing for a team that was the last bastion of a robust long ball philosophy in the Premier League.

At least, that is what Newcastle fans would have had in mind before Pope arrived at St James’ Park in the summer. Indeed, Pope appeared to be the quintessential example of the type of player that Sean Dyche wanted in his team; imposing, and physical, whilst being overly sceptical about the subtleties of the modern game.

Admittedly, is it a reputation that may stick with Pope throughout the remainder of his career but that sentiment won’t be felt inside Newcastle given that the keeper has, to a large extent, won over a significant percentage of the Toon army since putting pen to paper on a four-year deal? Here, we’ll look at what Newcastle’s last line of defence is doing well and how he is defying his critics who pigeonholed him as a keeper that was incapable of adapting to a fluid style.

Most saves this season

To start with, let’s focus on what Pope is renowned for doing well: stopping the ball from going into the net. Indeed, the six-foot-six keeper’s shot-stopping abilities are some of the best in the league and as things stand, Pope tops the charts for most saves so far this season with 28 after six games. In particular, Pope racked up five crucial saves against Brighton in a 0-0 draw in August at the Amex Stadium, and in doing so, announced himself to the Newcastle fans.

In fact, it was such a commanding performance that many felt it was the catalyst for Pope’s inclusion in Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad, which, it goes without saying, is a timely inclusion during a potentially defining year for the nation. Put another way, the reality is that there hasn’t been a better time to be involved in an England team since arguably 1966 and for Pope, an incredible journey over the last few years may be capped off this winter by winning the World Cup with England. Excitingly, Betway Sports have, as of the 16th of September, given England odds of just 6/1 to win the World Cup in Qatar which makes them second to only Brazil as favourites. Of course, Pope has, up until now, been a support act to Jordan Pickford but further analysis of his performance against the Seagull shows that Southgate now has a tough decision to make.

🧤 Nick Pope's superb stop at the Amex Stadium has been nominated for the Premier League's Save of the Month award for August.

Voting is open ⤵️

— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) September 8, 2022

Indeed, the stalemate on the south coast was Pope’s 37th clean sheet since the start of the 2019/2020 season with only Ederson, 56, and Alisson, 43, ahead of the keeper in terms of more shutouts. Those are, of course, hugely impressive figures but Pope has always been regarded as an excellent goalkeeper. It is, however, his perceived inability with the ball at his feet that dominates most conversations around the England international.

How has Pope adapted to being the extra man in the Newcastle build-up?

It should be said that most keepers have strengths and weaknesses, which is why the narrative around Pope isn’t entirely justified when it comes to him being labelled as unable to contribute to the overall play. For instance, Pope was tied for most defensive actions outside his box during the last campaign, completing 1.9 per 90 minutes. The only other keeper to match this was Liverpool’s Alisson. In essence, these stats show how effective Pope is as a sweeper by assisting with interceptions, clearances, blocks, and of course tackles. Tellingly, Pope has kept these high standards up this season by averaging 1.5 defensive actions per 90 minutes after six games.

Nick Pope: Sweeper Keeper™ pic.twitter.com/R2ujpCAjpY

— Squawka (@Squawka) September 12, 2022

Now, let’s finally sink our teeth into the bone of contention and address Pope’s distribution. Yes, this is the weakest part of Pope’s all-around contribution but progress has been made since working with Eddie Howe. Indeed, during Pope’s final season with Burnley that ended in relegation, his average length of the pass was 52.8 yards, whilst under Howe, it has now come down to 44.1 yards. In short, this illustrates that Pope is more than willing to join in the build-up from the back by adapting to a new philosophy. These adjustments naturally take time and Newcastle fans can expect this number to drop even further over Pope’s time at St James’ Park.

That’s not to say that there isn’t room for improvement but when you consider that only Ederson and Alisson have kept more clean sheets in the last three years, on top of the fact that Pope is showing admirable progress in a fluid system, the only conclusion that can be drawn is Newcastle have one of the most undervalued keepers in the league.