Premier League 2020-21 Best XI – Does Manchester City steal the show?
Goalkeeper
Emiliano Martinez – Aston Villa – Average Match Rating: 6.93
Emiliano Martinez makes the top XI at goalkeeper, meaning that he was the best goalkeeper in the English Premier League this season.
The Argentinian had an average match rating of 6.93 and a Post-Shot Expected Goals (PSxG) of +6.6.
According to FBRef.com, PSxG is the expected goal based on how likely the goalkeeper is to save the shot. Zero is the expected average, so the higher the number, the better shot-stopper the keeper was.
Martinez played a huge role in Villa’s success this season; if you consider an 11th place finish successfully.
He set a new club record for the Lions with 15 shutouts in a single season, despite the Lions allowing the fourth-most shots on target in the league with 167.
Congratulations to our 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬/𝟮𝟭 Supporters' Player of the Season: @EmiMartinezz1! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ym1X81hDgJ
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) May 23, 2021
Martinez came over from Arsenal in the fall of 2020 with a €20 million transfer fee, making him the most expensive goalie in Argentine history. It has worked out to be money well spent.