Having a dependable goalkeeper is more significant than some people may think. Making sure the ball does not hit the back of the net is just as important as scoring a goal. You could have the greatest attackers in the world, but if you have got a faulty goalkeeper, scoring goals is inevitably pointless. Every year, we assess the best goalkeepers of the season as the Premier League produces the finest. Everyone can agree on the skill of renowned goalkeepers such as Alisson Becker and David de Gea, but who are the rest of the finest goalkeepers of this Premier League season so far?
1. Alisson Becker – Liverpool
Becker is an integral part of the Reds rank. Ever since the Brazilian goalkeeper’s arrival, Liverpool’s defence has never been better. Becker, along with Liverpool’s finest defenders, has created an armour that seemingly has no chinks for opposing teams to take advantage of. His marvellous positioning, reflexes and skills make him the gold standard of goalkeeping in England these days. According to Sportingbet’s statistics, Alisson Becker tops the list of goalkeeper appearances in which goalkeepers did not concede a goal, and he has a whopping total of 36 clean sheets in 73 appearances. Becker’s importance at Anfield can not be understated, and he has adapted perfectly to the Reds style of play. Alisson Becker has a tendency to diminish any approaching threats before it spirals out of control. Of course, there have been accidents and mistakes in his career, but when Becker is in tip-top shape, there are hardly any better goalkeepers around, making him crucial to Liverpool’s success.
2. Eduoard Mendy – Chelsea
Mendy has only wowed at Chelsea so far this season and every match, the Senegalese man proves what a pivotal signing he was for the Blues. So far, Mendy is showing to be a great upgrade on Arrizabalaga, and if he can keep up with his reckless streak, it shows the amount of skill and talent he has. Along with his accurate long balls and astonishing shot-stopping, Mendy is naturally equipped to dealing with shots from close range – a skill not to be taken lightly. If it helps, Eduoard Mendy is also approved by Petr Cech, who has 202 clean sheets in 434 appearances to boast.
3. Nick Pope – Burnley
Pope displayed great talent in his last two full seasons before his unfortunate shoulder injury, and the 28-year-old Englishman could definitely be considered as one of the Premier League’s finest. Although he has never officially won a Golden Glove award, he was definitely in the running, especially after leading Burnely to a top defensive record in the 2019/20 season. Pope was “one of the top 6 goalkeepers in the Premier League 2019-20 season when it came to clean sheets kept, saves and clearances made”. Given that Burnley’s defense is nothing major, keeping four clean sheets is a tremendous feat for Pope and goes to show how underrated he is. He has incredible reflexes on the field, and comparable to Mendy, he is also a fine shot-stopper himself.
4. Sam Johnstone – West Bromwich Albion
Although Johnstone has kept only two clean sheets this season so far, it could have been a lot worse for West Brom if he wasn’t there. It is important to remember that a goalkeeper is not solely responsible for conceding goals and that the defense matters a ton, too. Do West Brom have the best defense on the field? No, and some may argue that they have the worst defensive record in the league. Nevertheless, Johnstone has definitely exceeded expectations, made a total of 49 saves and conceded fewer goals than he was expected to.
5. Emiliano Martinez – Aston Villa
Martinez has turned out to be an exceptional signing for Villa, and why wouldn’t he be? The Argentine goalkeeper was nothing less than fantastic last season, and even though he was sold by Arsenal last season after delivering majorly in the absence of Bernard Leto, he was a popular choice for many sides. He has been crucial to Aston Villa’s astounding performances so far and has made a total of 30 saves this season. Currently, Martinez leads the Premier League with the most clean sheets, and he has definitely established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League and Argentina.
Bonus: Best Defenses of EPL 2024/2021
The battle for the trophy is going to be full of uncertainty this year. Liverpool, the official champion of the Premier League, is still in first place. However, the difference between the first and ninth place is only 6 points. Because of that, it is hard to predict who is going to become a champion this year. More and more clubs in the world are playing attacking football. The same rule counts when we talk about the Premier League. However, that doesn’t mean the defense is irrelevant. More precisely, many coaches and football experts will agree that the best defenses win the title in the end. The list of best defenses of EPL may give us certain insights.
Manchester City
The blue part of Manchester can be proud of their players for scoring only 12 goals in 14 games which puts them in first place on this list. Of course, we do not want to say Manchester City started the season as usual. Despite that, the latest news confirms they have a couple of players that are currently Covid-Positive. We will see how things are going to develop in the future.
Anyway, it is not a secret that Pep Guardiola is totally against the defensive type of tactics. However, this year, the defensive players are responsible for the good games they have. WIth two postponed games, they have only 6 points less than Liverpool. We will see if they will continue to score goals in the future.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa is probably the biggest surprise of the season. When you look closer, they are in the identical situation as Manchester City. However, Emiliano Martinez is not the only person on the court responsible for the good results. The entire defensive line is playing well, and they managed to receive only 14 goals this season. Keep in mind that they also had a memorable game against Liverpool when they managed to score 7 goals. Who knows, maybe Aston Villa is the new Leicester.
Tottenham
The special one is the type of coach that focuses his game on defense. Indeed, they managed to make a couple of mistakes that cost them a lot. However, we can’t deny the defensive capabilities of the entire team. Spurs managed to receive only 15 goals. If they continue in the same manner, they will surely be the direct competitor to the official champion.
Chelsea
The fourth place goes to one of the fresh teams in the Premier League. Chelsea did not have the right to bring new players for a year and a half. However, after the “short break”, they welcomed a couple of players that have brought new energy to the team. A new goalkeeper and a couple of new players in the defense line received 18 goals in the last 16 games. Lampard is a young coach, and no one expects Chelsea will win the title this year.
However, they are a perspective team that can become a leader in the next few years. Despite the good defense, they have fantastic front players that have scored 21 goals so far.
