Power Ranking Premier League Goalies Ahead of Week 13
Like a centre-back must now be able to pass the ball, there’s more to the goalkeeper position than simply making saves.
Goalkeepers in today’s era must be able to distribute the ball accurately and quickly start counter-attacks.
Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer is taking it one step further, regularly stepping out of his box to clear any danger.
We’re yet to see a goalkeeper adopt Neuer’s sweeper-keeper role in England, but that doesn’t mean the Premier League is short of talented shot-stoppers.
This ranked list takes into account form over the course of the season, number of saves and number of clean sheets. Factors such as quality of overall defence have also been considered.
Will Arsenal’s Petr Cech top the list or has Jack Butland, probably England’s future No. 1, done enough to earn top spot?
All stats courtesy of WhoScored unless otherwise noted
20. Artur Boruc
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Bournemouth have shipped 25 goals this season, the league’s second-highest total, with 13 coming in their previous four games.
Artur Boruc was at fault for three of the five goals conceded against Tottenham Hotspur.
He tripped Harry Kane inside the box, Kane scoring the resulting penalty, and spilled the ball twice to allow Erik Lamela and Kane to score.
The mistake the Poland international made against Watford was unforgivable, hesitating on the ball before passing it straight to Watford’s Odion Ighalo. The striker rounded Boruc and slotted home.
Bournemouth were 1-0 ahead at the time, but Boruc’s error wiped all momentum the Cherries had. They would go on to draw 1-1.
Boruc is failing to instill confidence in his defence with repeated mistakes, and if he doesn’t turn it around, Bournemouth are heading back to the Championship.
He has time to redeem himself, starting this weekend at Swansea.
19. John Ruddy
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Prior to the 1-0 win against Swansea City on November 7, John Ruddy hadn’t kept a single clean sheet all season.
His season has been filled with mistakes; the failure to stop Wilfried Zaha’s effort in Week 1; the tame punch against West Ham, allowing Andy Carroll to snatch a stoppage-time equaliser.
He was slow to get down to Georginio Wijnaldum’s second goal and Ayoze Perez’s strike in the 6-2 defeat to Newcastle and conceded the penalty against Manchester City that allowed Yaya Toure to score an 89th-minute winner.
Only two teams have conceded more than Norwich, and it’s easy to why.
18. Costel Pantilimon
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Sunderland have conceded 26 goals this season, the league’s highest number, and Costel Pantilimon ranks second in saves made (47), per Fox Sports.
That proves just how easy Sunderland have been to break down and should spare the Romanian some grief.
But he was to blame in the 1-0 loss to West Brom. Pantilimon dropped Chris Brunt’s cross and could do nothing but watch Saido Berahino poke the ball into the empty net.
When you’re in the bottom three, those sorts of mistakes cannot be made. This, combined with the 26 goals shipped, is why the 6’8” ‘keeper is a lowly 18th as Sunderland prepare to take on Crystal Palace.
17. Kasper Schmeichel
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It’s quite miraculous that Leicester City are third in the table given they have conceded more than double the number of goals each of the other teams in the top five have allowed.
Kasper Schmeichel has let in 20 goals and kept one clean sheet all season.
It’s the expected outcome of a team eager to push men forward to score goals. Leicester concede many but are the second-highest goalscoring team.
So Schmeichel isn’t entirely at fault for Leicester conceding an average of 1.67 goals per game. The Denmark international has made several smart saves during the course of the year.
He certainly shouldn’t be blamed if Leicester’s defensive frailties catch up with them.
16. Lukasz Fabianski
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Lukasz Fabianski has made mistakes in each of Swansea’s previous two games.
On October 31, Fabianski gifted Arsenal a second goal by dropping the ball at the feet of Laurent Koscielny. A week later, he left his goal unguarded in an attempt to defend a deep corner, only to allow Jonny Howson to head into an empty net.
His performances up until the Arsenal game hadn’t been too bad, ensuring Fabianski doesn’t fall below No. 16, but the Polish goalkeeper isn’t helping under-fire boss Garry Monk with these errors.
15. Brad Guzan
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Brad Guzan enters Saturday’s game against Everton on a high after shutting out Manchester City’s lethal attack in Aston Villa’s last outing.
It was only Guzan’s second clean sheet of the season and likely to be his most impressive.
Villa are bottom of the table, but Guzan needn’t take full responsibility for their troubles—he made nine saves against Liverpool in September in another losing effort.
14. Rob Elliot
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Newcastle United were in the relegation zone with three points before Rob Elliot replaced Tim Krul in goal.
In the four games Elliot has played, Newcastle have won twice and drawn once. They are now out of the bottom three.
Elliot isn’t the sole reason for Newcastle’s improved form—he conceded twice against Norwich City, but thankfully Newcastle’s attack netted six—but he is proving the importance of having a good backup ‘keeper, with Krul out for the season with a knee injury.
Elliot made a series of fine stops against Bournemouth, the best being a diving save to deny Dan Gosling from close range.
He’s shored up a defence that shipped 16 goals in eight games before his arrival.
Elliot doesn’t reach any higher than No. 14 due to the fact he’s played only four games.
13. Tim Howard
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Tim Howard has hit back at fans and the media who have criticised his performances, saying they “need to be more concerned with…the stats,” via the Liverpool Echo’s David Prentice.
And Howard, to his credit, has made 46 saves this season, the third-best total in the league, per Fox Sports.
But statistics don’t take into consideration mistakes, and Howard has made plenty of them this season.
He should have done better to prevent both of Arsenal’s goals in a 2-1 loss in October. His hesitation enabled Olivier Giroud to net Arsenal’s opener. Two minutes later, Howard was slowest to the ball, allowing Laurent Koscielny to score Arsenal’s second.
The American’s distribution is regularly putting his side under pressure, and the Toffees have kept just three clean sheets this season, their last coming on September 19.
Howard is making errors expected of a rookie, not of a goalkeeper in his 13th Premier League season.
Howard is in the top 13 due to his 74.2 percent save percentage (per the Telegraph), which suggests Everton’s defensive woes can’t all be pinned on their goalkeeper.
12. Wayne Hennessey
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Wayne Hennessey has kept three clean sheets in six matches since replacing Alex McCarthy in the Crystal Palace goal.
He was one of the stars in Palace’s 2-1 win at Liverpool, making a smart save to turn Christian Benteke’s header behind.
Hennessey has the same number of clean sheets as Everton’s Tim Howard despite playing six fewer games. For that, he is deserving of his place ahead of the American.
It seems unlikely McCarthy will see the field anytime soon.
11. Asmir Begovic
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Chelsea are enduring a horrid season, but it’s hard to imagine Thibaut Courtois would be offering a drastic improvement on Asmir Begovic’s efforts.
Begovic is averaging 3.1 saves per game this season via WhoScored, which is more than David de Gea (2.9), Hugo Loris (2.8), Simon Mignolet (2.1) and Joe Hart (1.4).
So Chelsea’s defensive woes can’t all be pinned on the Bosnian. But the ‘keeper doesn’t make the top 10 after conceding 18 goals in 10 games. That’s not ideal for a club who many believed would defend their title.
Begovic has an opportunity to record his third clean sheet of the season on Saturday against a Norwich side that has netted just once in its last three games.
10. Simon Mignolet
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There are few better ‘keepers in the league when it comes to shot-stopping than Liverpool’s Simon Mignolet.
The save to deny Oscar’s lob, where he scampered backwards and flung a right arm at the ball to push it away, was a save worthy of any highlight reel.
But Mignolet shows a lack of awareness too often, as shown against Crystal Palace when he passed the ball to Mamadou Sakho after the defender had gone down injured.
Despite the dramatic saves, the Belgian has kept only one clean sheet in his last nine league games.
The odd decision-making and failure to keep clean sheets is disconcerting and keeps Mignolet out of the top nine.
9. Maarten Stekelenburg
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Maarten Stekelenburg’s career is back on track after a dismal few years with Fulham that, at one point, saw him dropped by then-Fulham boss Felix Magath.
Stekelenburg is still contracted to Fulham, but he’s enjoying a fine season with Southampton, recording five clean sheets already.
Some of the Dutch goalkeeper’s success is owed to the centre-back pairing of Jose Fonte and Virgil van Dijk, both of whom have been mightily impressive.
Stekelenburg has made only 15 saves according to Fox Sports, showing how significant the centre-back duo has been. For this reason, Stekelenburg doesn’t make the top eight.
8. Boaz Myhill
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Only Joe Hart (seven) has kept more clean sheets than West Brom’s Boaz Myhill (six).
The Welshman is proving to be a solid stand-in for traditional No. 1 Ben Foster.
Tony Pulis predicts Foster will return from a cruciate-ligament injury around Christmas, per BBC Sport.
The West Brom boss faces a tough decision: Immediately start Foster when he’s fully fit or continue to play Myhill.
Myhill can continue to stake his claim as first-choice ‘keeper at the weekend with a strong performance against high-flying Arsenal.
7. Adrian
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West Ham’s Adrian responded to his sending off against Leicester City in excellent fashion.
On his return against Manchester City, the Spanish shot-stopper made eight saves in a memorable 2-1 away win.
Adrian has made 31 saves this season, six more than Liverpool’s Simon Mignolet despite playing three fewer games than the Belgian, per Fox Sports.
Adrian possesses some of the quickest reflexes in the league, and only his discipline prevents him from being in the top six.
His performances have helped West Ham to sixth in the table, five points behind leaders Manchester City and Arsenal.
The Hammers will overtake Tottenham Hotspur should they beat Mauricio Pochettino’s side on Sunday.
6. Joe Hart
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Almost half of the goals Manchester City have conceded this season came in the one game Joe Hart didn’t play.
He missed the game against Tottenham Hotspur, and his replacement, Willy Caballero, shipped four goals.
With Hart between the sticks in City’s remaining 11 games, they have conceded five.
That shows how much of a difference Hart makes to the team.
Hart often loses concentration—as shown against Aston Villa, when he tried but failed to control Rudy Gustede’s forceful throw-in when leaving the ball would have been a better option—and this prevents him from making the top five.
5. Heurelho Gomes
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Watford are 11th in the league due in no small part to the efforts of their goalkeeper.
Heurelho Gomes, often a laughing stock during his time at Tottenham Hotspur, has found the perfect time to enjoy the best form of his career.
He rescued a point for the Hornets in the 1-1 draw against Bournemouth, saving Glenn Murray’s penalty with five minutes left.
It took his penalty save ratio to 28.6 percent, second in Premier League history to David Seaman, per the Premier League.
Very often the downfall of newly-promoted teams is an inability to cope with the quality of Premier League attacks.
But Gomes has provided Watford with a strong foundation.
The Brazilian doesn’t crack the top four due to his mistakes against Leicester on November 7, putting a slight blemish on his season.
He allowed Ngolo Kante’s shot to slip through his hands and then fouled Jamie Vardy inside the box, Vardy scoring the resulting penalty.
4. Hugo Lloris
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Hugo Lloris is putting together another solid season for Tottenham Hotspur.
His attempt to deny Kieran Gibbs’ equalising goal against Arsenal was rather weak, but let’s not forget the brilliant save he made to deny Joel Campbell earlier in the second half.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino is building a promising Spurs team, and the presence of Lloris must be reassuring while the Argentinean tries new tactics further up the field, such as Eric Dier in defensive midfield.
Lloris will look to help his team to 12 unbeaten games when they take on West Ham on Sunday.
3. David De Gea
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After missing Manchester United’s first four league games, David De Gea has done well to put the Real Madrid transfer saga behind him and concentrate on playing football.
He hasn’t conceded a goal in his last three games, and United have conceded only eight goals this season, the fewest number.
He was vitally important in the 3-1 win against Liverpool in September, making a wonderful save to deny Danny Ings with the score at 1-0.
A summer move to Madrid is surely impending for the young shot-stopper.
2. Petr Cech
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At last Arsenal have a goalkeeper to support their title hopes.
Petr Cech has recovered from a nightmare game against West Ham on the opening weekend to help Arsenal to joint-top of the Premier League.
The former Chelsea ‘keeper has kept six clean sheets and leads the league in save percentage, denying 82.4 shots aimed his way, per the Telegraph.
He’s bought leadership and experience to a defence that has lacked both in recent years.
1. Jack Butland
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The future is incredibly bright for Jack Butland.
The 22-year-old is in stellar form, recording clean sheets in four of his last five league games.
He leads the league in saves, with 50, and his 4.17 saves per goal is behind only Petr Cech, per the EA Sports Player Performance Index (via Talking Baws).
Against Newcastle United on October 31, he was in great form, making six saves in a man-of-the-match display.
The cost of Stoke’s starting defence against Chelsea on November 9 was £6.23 million, per Transfermarkt.
Meanwhile, the defence Petr Cech played behind against Tottenham Hotspur in Arsenal's last outing cost more than £34 million, per Transfermarkt.
Butland is doing more with lesser talent, and for that reason he trumps Cech.
It surely won’t be long before he is England’s No. 1.
