Top 5 Goalkeeper's In The English Premier League
Yesterday afternoon I was chatting with Ahmed Bilal, (the soccer maestro behind SoccerLens.com) about whom we thought were the top 5 goalkeepers in the English Premier League this season. Well, it was not really a long drawn out discussion, Ahmed spat out his top 5 goalkeeper list in about 1 second which was extremely impressive. So, I thought it would be cool to put together a little goalkeeper repository, with some video footage and my comments about the following goalkeepers in the English Premier League, and why Ahmed & I think they are tops! In no particular order, here are the best of The Premiership...drum roll please:
1. Edwin van der Saar: This Dutch Maestro breathed a sigh of relief into not only my big brother Tom (who's a raging Man United fan), but also Sir Alex Fergurson. At a time when The Red Devils were facing a disastrous goalkeeper conundrum, van der Saar has become a solid rock in between the sticks. I've admired his phenomenal goalkeeping ability and solid goalkeeping as a teenager, especially back in the Jari Litmanen days of Ajax in the 90's. Van der Saar has been an uplifting feature of Manchester United, especially since the departure of Peter Schmeichel many moons ago.
Some of the best goalkeeper traits of Edwin van der Saar include:
- Awesome communication with his back line.
- Great timing & reflex.
- Brilliant understanding of angles.
Here is a video of van der Saar in some heroic action:
2. Jussi Jaaskelainen: What the? With a name like Jussi, we should be expecting some "juicy" saves and this Finn has done the hard yards on his journey to the English Premier League, but his performances for Bolton Wanderers have paid off in spades. With over 300 appearances under his belt, Jussi shows that patience and persistence can give a goalkeeper large dividends in the long-run, something every young goalkeeper should think about. Jussi displays some brilliant reflexes, with a knack for shutting down angles with the greatest of ease. Jussi is also not afraid of a little flight, in the following video you will see how he utilizes powerful momentum to attack the ball with deft-defying accuracy:
3. Petr Cech: I'm going to blaspheme here, but if God was a goalkeeper...then he would epitomise Petr Cech! Seriously, for any young goalkeeper who is aspiring to be great, take a note out of Cech's performances in the English Premier League. Cech is well...of Czech origin and has scratched and clawed his way with great patience and diligence to be recognized as one of the best goalkeeper's on the planet.
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho considers him an "Untouchable"...no shade of gangsterism in that quote, indeed! Cech has awards and accolades aplenty, suffice to say that he deserves every one of them. I always state that "Luck Is Labours Reward" and Cech has shown that with his steady rise to goalkeeping glory. He ousted Carlo Cudicini when he signed with Chelsea, and Cudicni was considered at that time one of the best of the premiership. Petr Cech is so loved in fact, that a Brazilian band called Fresno created a song titled "Sonnet For Petr Cech". Much of Cech's brilliance revolves around great positioning and uncanny reflexes. Without further adieu, here is Petr Cech with some shot stopping madness:
4. Jens Lehmann: When Lehmann started at Schalke 04 in 1989, he let in 3 howlers and was subbed in the first half. Lehmann was so anguished by what happened he left the stadium and jumped on a tram home instead of riding the bus with histeam mates! To make matters worse, he moved onto AC Milan and was given the boot after just five matches. But testament to his character and inner drive, Lehmann soldiered on to help The Gunners to the 2003-04 English Premier League campaign. We need to note here that Lehmann replaced David Seaman which is no easy feat to live up to. All in all Lehmann is a testament to balls to the wall goalkeeping, with a wasabi-like temper and phenomenal courage in the air. Here is a tribute to Jens Lehmann:
5. Jose "Pepe" Reina: His dad is legendary spanish goalkeeper Miguel Reina Santos, so you have to fill the old man's shoes, and Reina does it with Spabish flamboyance and tonnes of class. I'm also biased because I'm a Kop fan! Starting at Barcelona at just 18 years of age, Reina moved onto Villarreal CF taking them to the UEFA Champions League, before being swooped up by Liverpool. He matched the master Ray Clemence's record for conceding the fewest goals within his first 50 matches, which is no easy feat. Although Reina has fumbled about and struggled with performance, he is an overall class act. His attributes include super sharp agility and phenomenal technique. Here Pepe at his finest, with some comments from his team mates:
Hope you enjoy, and it would be great to hear everyone's feedback regarding who else should be added to the list!
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John Stevanja
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Reader Comments (26)
Cech
Jaaskelainen
Foster
Sorenson
James
I think that the list respnates the best of the premiership, not just this season, but over the past few season. But it is a good call!
J.