Analysis: Is Wojciech Szczesny the real star behind Arsenal's stunning form?

Arsenal sit two points clear at the top of the Premier League table following the weekend’s latest domestic action and Arsene Wenger’s men look in a good position to record their first trophy in just under ten years.

Much of the club’s fantastic form has been down to a settled back four and the growing central defensive partnership between Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker.

However, the growing maturity and consistency of goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has also been a major contributing factor and this season the Polish number one has established himself as one of the league’s best players in his position.

The 23-year-old made his 100th Premier League appearance in January’s 2-0 win over Fulham and since being dropped due to poor form at the back end of last season, he has responded spectacularly, becoming a key figure in the Arsenal defence.

Szczesny has played his part in a backline that has shipped just 21 goals this term, with six of those coming in the defeat to Manchester City in December. He has featured in every single league match for the Gunners, collecting an impressive 11 clean sheets – a current league best – and he has let in just 12 goals from open play, conceding a mere 0.88 times per match.

With a Squawka Performance Score of 630 points he currently ranks as the best goalkeeper in the top flight, with ex-team mate Vito Mannone a long stretch behind in second. The Sunderland shot stopper has just 479 points to his name – there is a large gulf in class between Szczesny and his current challengers.

Cardiff’s David Marshall currently leads the Premier League rankings in terms of total saves, having prevented 79 shots from reaching the intended target, yet he has conceded 40 times this season (the highest total in the division). The Scot has averaged 1.98 saves per goal, compared to the 2.48 recorded by Szczesny. Clearly more saves does not necessarily equate to less goals being conceded. The latter boasts a save rate greater than Petr Cech (1.55), Joe Hart (1.47), David De Gea (1.86), Simon Mignolet (2.00) and Hugo Lloris (1.87). In fact, of the first choice goalkeepers from the league’s top seven teams only Tim Howard has registered a higher number of average stops per goal (2.52).

Furthermore, Szczesny has made a total of 75 claims this campaign, a total superior to each of the aforementioned top seven goalkeepers. In doing so he has registered an average success rate of 94%, failing to collect the ball on five occasions.

His distribution has also been superb and he has found an Arsenal teammate 88% of the time – second to only Stoke’s Jack Butland, who has played just three times for the Potters. In 2159 minutes of game time he has completed 100% of his attempted throws and 75% of his goal-kicks. Whilst this second figure may seem poor at first glance, he is ranked second in terms of kicking accuracy among those who have played more than ten matches this campaign.

Statistically, Szczesny has been outstanding both in terms of the saves and claims and also in terms of his distribution. In truth, he is unrivalled among the other top keepers in the English top-flight. He has cut out the silly errors that we previously witnessed in his performances and he has continued to rebut past criticism with a number of brilliant displays alongside several match-winning saves.

He is certainly the Premier League’s in-form goalkeeper and at just 23-years-of-age it is not inconceivable that he will establish himself as the division’s best within coming years. His consistency has been crucial to the Gunners this term and he will have to continue his brilliant performances if Wenger and co. wish to stand any chance of ending the club’s trophy-less run.