Cardiff City: Ethan Horvath is unsurprisingly leading unwanted Championship chart | OneFootball

Ethan Horvath has endured a miserable start to the season at Cardiff City

The eye test matches up to the underlying numbers as far as Ethan Horvath is concerned, with the Cardiff City shot-stopper enduring a shaky start to the 2024/25 Championship campaign.

Horvath, who has twice achieved promotion from the second-tier in consecutive seasons with Nottingham Forest and Luton Town, joined Cardiff from the Reds on the final day of the January transfer window.

The 10-cap USA international was quickly instated as Cardiff's number-one between the sticks following an injury to Jak Alnwick, who missed the remaining three months of the previous season with a knee ligament problem after impressing prior to Horvath's arrival.

Horvath's first half-season with the club was largely devoid of notable errors. Arguably, though, that glossed over the glaring deficiencies at play; he conceded nearly two goals per game and statistically underperformed, letting in 29 from 16 appearances despite facing an xGOT [Expected Goals on target] of 25.9.

Nonetheless, Horvath was handed the gloves for Cardiff's first four games of the new season, though he was soon replaced by Alnwick and the statistics vindicate that decision - which was made by Erol Bulut two games before his eventual sacking, but has been continued by interim boss Omer Riza.

Ethan Horvath's 24/25 stats for Cardiff City

It will surely come as little surprise to Cardiff supporters to learn that Horvath ranks as the worst goalkeeper across the Championship by a measure of three crucial metrics.

According to FotMob, Horvath has conceded the most goals per 90 minutes [2.5] while preventing the fewest goals [-3.8] and accumulating the lowest save percentage at a lowly 47.7 percent. Most bizarrely, though, he has conceded 10 goals despite facing just 17 shots and a superior xGOT of 6.18

Cardiff conceded two or more goals in three of Horvath's four games in goal, including their 5-0 defeat away to promotion favourites Burnley on the second weekend of the new season.

The fateful trip to Turf Moor was, of course, marked by a calamitous error from Horvath, who looked upfield to assess his options while receiving a subtle back-pass from Dimitros Goutas but lost concentration and allowed the ball to slip under his foot and into the back of the net.

Amid ringing calls for Alnwick to be favoured for Cardiff's South Wales Derby affair away at Swansea City, Horvath was preferred and managed to largely keep the hosts at bay.

He did, however, exhibit some shaky moments with his handling from corners, and the goalkeeper then let in two against Middlesbrough the week after despite facing an xGOT of 1.00.

Ethan Horvath may struggle to displace Jak Alnwick at Cardiff City

Following September's international break, Horvath was dropped for Alnwick ahead of his side's trip to Derby County, where they lost 1-0.

Subsequent defeats to both Leeds United and Hull City did little to convince either Bulut or Riza to drop Alnwick back to the bench, though, and that has since proved the right call.

Alnwick was arguably Cardiff's finest performer during their long-awaited first victory of the league season against Millwall last week, pulling off a string of sensational saves late on to deny the Lions and keep all three points in the Welsh capital. Neil Harris' side worked up a superior xG to Cardiff's of 1.27, with an xGOT of 1.00, but Alnwick kept Cardiff's first clean sheet after seven matches.

He was seldom called into action during Sunday's Severnside Derby showdown at Ashton Gate, with Bristol City getting just two of their 16 shots on target.

However, Alnwick looks much more assured with his shot-stopping, high claiming and distribution too, so it really is difficult to see him returning to the bench anytime soon.