Just days before the start of the 23/24 season, our star goalkeeper Christian Walton picked up a freakish foot injury, tearing his plantar fascia. Panic struck around the fanbase and there were even shouts of signing a new goalkeeper as cover.
The responsibility fell for Vaclav Hladky, a massive unexpected chance for the Czech number two. Vas had impressed during pre-season especially vs Leipzig. Kieran Mckenna had full faith and confidence in him. We were all somewhat worried as Vas was unproved at championship level. I was both excited and nervous to see how he would fare!
In this article, I am going to analyse Vas’s performances up to this point and I will come to a conclusion as to whether Vas should continue as Ipswich number one or whether KM should bring Christian Walton back into the team now he is fully fit.
Content
- Vaclav Hladky pre-2023/2024
- Vaclav Hladky’s heroics 2023/2024
- Christian Walton pre-injury
1. Hladky pre-2023/2024
2021/2022 season
Vas joined Ipswich at the start of the 2021/2022 season from Salford City. He was initially signed to be our number one and, after a phenomenal spell in League two, he was expected to make the step up to League one with relative ease.
Vas struggled to make the step up, with a string of poor performances where it felt like he conceded every shot. He especially struggled to command his area. Eventually he was dropped and replaced by Walton who came in and was phenomenal, keeping his place for the rest of the season.
2022/2023
This was a tough season for Vas: he was widely expected to leave in the summer and when a move to Aberdeen didn’t materialise, he remained as back up for Walton. His only appearance in the league was a seven-minute cameo in the famous Exeter game. There were calls for Vas to come in during the middle part of the season when Walton lost form. However, Mckenna kept faith in Walton.
During his limited appearances in cup games, Vas impressed massively especially, in the FA cup, putting in useful performances against higher-level opposition in Rotherham and both Burnley games. Vas proved his worth as a capable and valuable back up.
2. Hladky heroics 2023/2024
Vas had defied anyone’s wildest expectations since coming into the team. I believe he has been the best goalkeeper in the championship so far and this is backed up statistically. Hladky has prevented +4.5 goals so far this season, which is almost double the player in second. Absolutely obscene numbers: I will break down his key attributes which make him so good. (Data credit https://fbref.com/en/)
Vas currently ranks joint top in the clean-sheet department with five in 11 games – a very solid tally, 45.5% clean-sheet percentage. This will only continue to rise!
Key saves and best moments
This video covers Vas’s best saves so far this season – a ridiculous highlight reel for just 11 games. Vas’s best game was his special performance away at Huddersfield where he made five monster saves to earn us a point. Vas’s best save is either his foot save against Huddersfield or Sunderland. I can’t decide which because both are world class! (Video cred itfc.co.uk/live/)
Shot-Stopping
Vas’s shot-stopping has been nothing short of sensational. 72.9% save percentage with 34 out of 45 shots saved ranks him in the top three for save percentage in the league!
The key attributes that have been a catalyst for Vas’s superb shot-stopping are his sharp footwork, agility and reflexes. Vas is a master at parrying shots and as the games have progressed and he has gained more confidence, he is now parrying the ball into much better areas away from goal.
Sweeping
I’d say this is one of Vas’s best attributes and that he ranks amongst the best in the world for defensive actions. He averages just under four defensive actions outside of the penalty area per game with 43 in total so far – the highest in the league comfortably.
He has also proven his ability to drop back to his line. Against QPR, Chair tried to catch Vas out close to the halfway line, however, Vas dropped back superbly to tip the ball over the line.
This is down to his aggressive and positive starting position. Vas is also very quick to anticipate when he needs to come out of his area. This is emphasised heavily by his amazing touch map below against Preston. (Credit whoscored.com)
Distribution
Vas’s distribution is another of his key assets, which has been a serious weapon for us so far this season. Vas is so composed and comfy on the ball, often starting attacks from beating the press at the back. His passing success rate is 73.39% so far with 27 key passes, which is very impressive. One trademark pass is Morsy dropping in and Vas feeding him to drive us up the pitch.
Vas’s performance against Hull was a distribution masterclass and might be the best I’ve ever seen. He contributed massively to both the second and third goal with both short and long passes. Vas’s pass success rate was 98%, which is obscene for a keeper.
Another exceptional stat is that Vas has contributed to around 1/5 of the goals we have scored this season: Stoke second goal, Wednesday goal, Blackburn second goal, Wolves first goal, Hull second and third goal. This was mostly through his brave passing play to beat the press.
3. Christian Walton pre-injury
2021/2022
Walton initially joined Ipswich from Brighton on loan to provide competition for Hladky. Despite a rocky debut conceding five against Bolton, he never looked back from there and quickly gained plaudits for his superb shot-stopping and aerial ability.
Ipswich were able to get Walton on a permanent deal in January, which was a huge coup and ended our goalkeeping problems since losing Bart. One glaring weak point in Walton’s game was his kicking: this all changed when KM joined and developed Walton’s distribution to completely change his game.
Walton was part of an impressive Ipswich defence, which improved massively during the second half of the 2021/2022 season: he ended the season with 14 clean sheets in 34 games, which is a very respectable tally.
2022/2023
Walton started the 2022/2023 season in great form, noticeably with superb performances against Burton and Forest Green – his shot-stopping was solid, aerially he was a beast and his distribution had improved massively as well.
However from November–January he had a big drop off in form and started making lots of uncharacteristic small mistakes noticeably Charlton and Cheltenham. Walton had also lost his aerial prowess and his goal-prevented rate was poor. There were calls to drop him but luckily KM kept faith.
Walton’s performances in the second half of the season were nothing short of sensational. He picked his form back up as he went on a ridiculous clean sheet run of nine games, smashing the previous club record: 14 clean sheets in the final 22 games to win himself the golden glove, he started all 46 league games.
His performance away at Bolton was outrageous, making four massive saves including another huge pen save to earn us a priceless three points. His best cameo in an Ipswich kit.
In conclusion
What a position to be in having two incredible goalkeepers to now choose from? It’s a incredibly tough decision for Kieran: the championship equivalent to Ramsdale and Raya.
My decision is that Vas has simply been elite and can’t lose his place. He’s been given his chance and grasped it with both hands. How can you take out the best goalkeeper in the championship so far?
For me, Vas stays playing unless he gets an injury or loses form. Walton also needs match sharpness, so it’s risky to throw him straight back in the league. Fulham at home in the Carabao is the perfect game for him to return.
In terms of goalkeeping, they are relatively similar in terms of shot-stopping. What separates them is that Vas is stronger as a sweeper and is more comfortable on the ball. In comparison, Walton is more dominant aerially and potentially at throwing.
I’ve seen a few fans suggest that we play Walton against direct teams and we play Vas against high-pressing teams, which could be interesting but not something I expect KM to explore.
Thanks for reading!
