Leeds United's next opponents Stoke City are 'luckiest' Championship side as defensive frailties revealed
Leeds United's Boxing Day opponents Stoke City have a lot to thank goalkeeper Viktor Johansson for as new stats reveal the Potters' defensive frailties.
Stoke have conceded 30 goals in 22 matches this season which is par for the course for the Championship's mid-section. However, the Potters have conceded shots worth a total 39.1 Expected Goals (xG), meaning Narcis Pelach's side should have allowed nine more goals than their opponents have actually managed.
Leeds' next opponents are giving up numerous chances per match but are being bailed out by goalkeeper Johansson for the most part. The Swedish stopper swapped Rotherham United for Stoke over the summer and has hit the ground running at the Bet365 Stadium, despite the team's collective difficulties.
Johansson's individual performance is ranked as the best in the division, particularly in the area of shot-stopping. The 26-year-old is saving more shots than the average 'keeper would be expected to, and has so far prevented chances worth a cumulative 11 goals from ending up in the back of the net.
Whether this level of overperformance is sustainable over an entire season remains unlikely, but it does suggest Leeds will need to be at their clinical best if they're to find a way past the Swede in the Potters' goal on Boxing Day.
Moreover, Stoke's xG Conceded this season is second only to fellow strugglers Plymouth Argyle, meanwhile they are one of four clubs to have conceded over 100 shots on target, averaging just shy of five per game. Johansson, therefore, has plenty of practice when it comes to keeping goals out but could certainly be better protected by those operating in front of him.
The Potters have also conceded seven goals from set-plays, as opposed to Leeds' three, which is short of Sheffield Wednesday's league-high of 12, but still far from ideal, especially if Pascal Struijk is passed fit to feature from the start after sitting out last weekend's 4-0 win over Oxford United.
Whether Stoke's luck, and goalkeeping overperformance, persists long enough to keep Leeds at bay on 26 December is unknown but on paper at least, it appears the Potters could be in for a long evening.