Power Ranking the 1st-Choice Premier League Goalkeepers
Goalkeeping is in many ways an impossible job. For every time you're a hero, there are always going to be about three when you're the villain.
In the madcap pace of the Premier League, that would appear to be even more evident, but who are the best stoppers in the division right now?
Taking only recent form into account, here are the power rankings for the current No. 1s.
20. Artur Boruc (Bournemouth)
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The trouble with making a mistake just before the international break is that everyone remembers it for a couple of weeks, even if you try and forget it.
Artur Boruc is away with the Poland squad right now, but his careless error to allow Watford's Odion Ighalo to walk the ball into the net last weekend cost Bournemouth three points and ensured he's still only kept one clean sheet in the Premier League this season, conceding 12 goals.
Former Reading goalkeeper Adam Federici waits on the bench.
19. Costel Pantilimon (Sunderland)
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No goalkeeper has shipped more Premier League goals than Sunderland's Costel Pantilimon this season, with the Romanian seeing the ball placed past him 18 times in eight fixtures as he's failed to keep a clean sheet and seen his team slip into the relegation zone.
With Dick Advocaat having left the club, new boss Sam Allardyce might like to consider No. 2 Vito Mannone to take over between the sticks.
18. Tim Krul (Newcastle)
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He was left somewhat isolated as Newcastle conceded five goals to Sergio Aguero and six to Manchester City last weekend, but Tim Krul still didn't cover himself in glory.
Krul has conceded 17 times this season as the Magpies sit bottom of the table, and although he remains one of their best players, he needs to start organising his defence better.
17. Brad Guzan (Aston Villa)
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After keeping a clean sheet on the opening day of the season in a win at Bournemouth, Brad Guzan and Aston Villa have shipped 13 goals in their following seven fixtures, including three in each of their last two away games at Leicester City and Liverpool,
The American certainly hasn't been at his best as Villa have lost six of their eight games, with No. 2 Mark Bunn ready on the bench if Tim Sherwood fancies a change.
16. Asmir Begovic (Chelsea)
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The problems at Chelsea run a lot deeper than just being without their first-choice goalkeeper, but summer signing Asmir Begovic hasn't exactly done a stellar job of replacing Thibaut Courtois.
With 13 goals conceded in five starts and one substitute appearance, the Bosnian has been regularly beaten, with his only clean sheet coming against an Arsenal side who finished the match with nine men.
15. John Ruddy (Norwich)
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Maybe it's the bright pink socks that are putting him off, but Norwich City's John Ruddy is still to keep a clean sheet in the Premier League this season, conceding 14 goals.
Luckily for him, the Canaries have scored in all but one of those fixtures as they continue to stay away from getting sucked into the relegation zone, but their goalkeeper will expect his standards to improve sooner rather than later.
14. Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester)
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Leicester City's terrific start to the season hasn't exactly been built on a solid foundation, with the team scoring in all eight of their matches and 32 goals witnessed in all.
Danish stopper Kasper Schmeichel, son of Peter, has already proved that goalkeeping talent runs in the family, but if he can up his game, then perhaps Claudio Ranieri's men could climb even higher.
13 Maarten Stekelenburg (Southampton)
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Replacing the injured Fraser Forster was never going to be easy for Southampton boss Ronald Koeman, and in his fellow Dutchman Maarten Stekelenburg, he opted to go for experience.
The 33-year-old former Ajax and Roma stopper hasn't quite convinced the Saints faithful just yet though, with a perceived lack of suitability to the rough ad tumble of the Premier League.
12. Lukasz Fabianski (Swansea)
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Two wins, two defeats, four draws, a couple of good results against the big boys. It's been a fairly expected start to the season for Swansea City.
Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski has had a fairly average time of it, too, conceding 10 times and keeping two clean sheets. Not great but not bad.
11. Adrian (West Ham)
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He's had an up-and-down season that has featured a red card and a suspension for three matches, but West Ham's Spanish stopper Adrian has still had a couple of memorable afternoons at two of the elite clubs in the country.
After playing starring roles as the Hammers won at both Arsenal and Manchester City, the former Real Betis stopper has signed a new two-year contract with Slaven Bilic's men.
10. Boaz Myhill (West Brom)
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It has been a strange season for West Brom and goalkeeper Boaz Myhill so far.
Only Joe Hart has kept more clean sheets than the Welsh international who continues to stand in for Ben Foster, but in the four games he's conceded in, he's been beaten 11 times, creating something of a Jekyll-and-Hyde campaign.
9. David De Gea (Manchester United)
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Obviously he's the best goalkeeper currently playing in the Premier League, but since his return to the Manchester United fold, David De Gea has kept just one clean sheet in four matches, and that was against a hapless Sunderland.
He's been unfortunate as stunning efforts from the likes of Christian Benteke and Alexis Sanchez have flown past him, and although his quality is undoubted, he's not quite at his brilliant best just yet.
8. Tim Howard (Everton)
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Having overcome last season's dreadful loss of form to retain his place in the Everton goal, Tim Howard is back to being his reliable self as Everton enjoy what has been a decent start to the season.
Howard has kept three clean sheets and conceded eight goals across the campaign so far, but crucially he just looks more confident and solid between the sticks.
7. Simon Mignolet (Liverpool)
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This is a list based purely on Premier League form right now, and Simon Mignolet's ranking went up a few notches with his terrific display in the Merseyside derby, something that has been somewhat forgotten due to the upheaval at Liverpool this week.
Mignolet made brilliant saves to deny both Steven Naismith and James McCarthy as Liverpool took a point from Goodison Park, with the Belgian now looking for his first clean sheet since the opening three games of the season as he bids to impress new boss Jurgen Klopp.
6. Wayne Hennessey (Crystal Palace)
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In Julian Speroni's continued absence, Alan Pardew turned to the former Reading and Queens Park Rangers goalkeeper Alex McCarthy for the first six games of the season, before selecting Wales No. 1 Wayne Hennessey for the last two.
The former Wolves stopper has responded with back-to-back clean sheets against Watford and West Brom, and although far tougher tests will lie ahead, you can't fault form like that.
5. Hugo Lloris (Tottenham)
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Tottenham Hotspur are one of five teams to share the best defensive record so far this season, and although he was out injured for the opening weekend of the campaign, one of the key elements of that has been the form of French international Hugo Lloris.
A class act between the stick, Lloris has kept three clean sheets this season and will be crucial in his side's battle for the European places.
4. Jack Butland (Stoke)
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It has been a below-par season for Stoke City so far, but one player who has impressed throughout it has been their goalkeeper Jack Butland.
Embracing his status as the No. 1 following the departure of Asmir Begovic, Butland has made several outstanding saves and will be eager to kick on now following the clean sheet at Aston Villa last weekend.
3. Joe Hart (Manchester City)
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Joe Hart has only conceded three goals in seven Premier League appearances this season, and when Manuel Pellegrini replaced him with Willy Caballero for the trip to Tottenham last month, his side conceded four.
England's No. 1 Hart was back in action for the hammering of Newcastle United last weekend, and as an elite Premier League goalkeeper for many years now, he should be staying in the team.
2. Petr Cech (Arsenal)
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Arsenal were brilliant in the first half against Manchester United last weekend, but they still needed Petr Cech to save them from themselves.
Fine stops from Anthony Martial and Bastian Schweinsteiger either side of half-time removed any sense of nerves from the occasion for the Gunners, and although their summer signing might have got off to a slow start, he's certainly proving his worth now.
1. Heurelho Gomes (Watford)
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Yes, that's right. Heurelho Gomes takes the No. 1 spot for now thanks to his role in helping newly promoted Watford to the joint-best defensive record in this season's Premier League.
Gomes saved a penalty from Bournemouth's Glenn Murray last weekend, something he's been good at in the Premier League for a while now, and although more tough tests lie ahead for him and his team, he's at least ensuring they are approaching them with a solid foundation.
