Walter Benítez

Benítez organises his defence with the assurance of a goalkeeper who has already won a league title elsewhere, directing his back line early rather than reacting once danger has arrived. His shot stopping held up in his first competitive appearance for the club, when he saved penalties in a shootout to win the match. That kind of composure under direct pressure, one on one with a taker who has already picked his corner, is difficult to teach.

The question for any experienced goalkeeper joining a new club is how quickly he adapts to a defence he has not worked with for years. Benítez arrives having proven himself at a genuinely high level, raising the bar for what a strong debut season should look like. Watch how settled his relationship with the back line becomes over his first months. That understanding usually decides how many close moments turn in his favour.