Gavin Bazunu is a massively talented goalkeeper, but it is fair to say he has had his struggles since his big money move to Southampton last summer.
His debut season in the Premier League was a difficult one, failing to hit top form in a side that always seem destined for relegation. In fact, he would even be dropped in favour of Alex McCarthy towards the end of the campaign.
It was thought Southampton's relegation could be actually be of benefit to Bazunu. At 21-years old, a campaign in the Championship would do his development a world of good.
However, things have not gone smoothly in the second tier either.
Worrying Gavin Bazunu trend continues in Southampton loss
Southampton made a decent start to the season in terms of points gained, recording three wins and a draw in their opening four league games.
In saying that, the amount of goals they have conceded is worrying. When you take into account their Carabao Cup loss to Gillingham (which Bazunu did not feature in), they shipped ten goals in their first five fixtures of the campaign.
Unfortunately, that run continued this afternoon. Southampton would suffer a heavy 5-0 defeat away to Sunderland, findings themselves three goals down at halftime.
From an Irish perspective, it was worrying to see Gavin Bazunu let in more goals from long range. That has been a huge problem under Stephen Kenny, with the goalkeeper conceding two more goals from outside the box in the opening half of that game.
Sunderland are FLYING 💥
It's a first senior goal for Ekwah! 🥳 pic.twitter.com/VgF4HhsJOi— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) September 2, 2023
Gavin Bazunu's track record in stopping long range strikes is starting to look worrying.
They have been a big problem for Ireland and he has let two of them in during the first half of Southampton's game against Sunderland today.pic.twitter.com/vbU98Zwn4x— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) September 2, 2023
Ireland have had a big issue when it comes to stopping long range shots over the last couple of years.
Over a two year period up to March of 2023, just under 40% of the goals they conceded came from shots from outside the box, a mark that was well higher than any other European country.
While Bazunu performed well in many of the games over that stretch, this trend is certainly a worrying one. It seems to also be having an impact at club level.
Southampton fans have questioned the form of their goalkeeper in recent times, although manager Russell Martin dismissed their concerns around the player. With only five games of the league played, he has plenty of time to get back to his best and help the side in their promotion push.
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