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Perhaps, one of the hardest positions in football is that of a goalkeeper. The man between the sticks is vital for his team, but it is largely a thankless job as while they can make world-class stops to save their team, one mistake could push them into oblivion. In the present world where football is extremely demanding, it is very hard to be a goalkeeper.
Thankfully, there are a few players who have taken goalkeeping to a different level. In the Premier League too, goalkeepers have regularly made the news with their fantastic resilience between sticks. Today, Sportskeeda brings you the top five goalkeepers in the Premier League this season. Read on to find out who the best goalkeeper in the league is right now.
#5 Alisson Becker (Brazil, Liverpool)
After a disappointing 2017-18 season where goalkeeping errors cost them repeatedly, Liverpool were in the market for a new custodian. Jurgen Klopp had his eyes on Alisson Becker, the Brazilian keeper who played for Roma, and Liverpool paid big money to get their man. The Brazilian joined Liverpool last summer and immediately looked at home.
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Alisson started his career in the Premier League with three back-to-back clean sheets before an error against Leicester City cost him and his side an easy goal. The Brazilian looked shaken, but did not let it affect him. Cut to the end of the season, and the big money Liverpool paid for him looks like a bargain now. Alisson has been crucial to his team as they enter the last matchday just a point behind Manchester City in second. The Brazilian has managed 20 clean sheets and is the front runner for the Premier League Golden Glove race as of now.
The Liverpool custodian is very comfortable with the ball at his feet and likes to initiate attacks with his goal kicks. His reflexes are very good and he is also a great shot stopper. Alisson likes to play as a sweeper and has been extraordinary in the role for his club. He regularly comes off his line to help his team out.
This season, Alisson has made 70 saves, and has always responded when asked to perform. He has 17 sweeper clearances, the fourth most in the Premier League. Alisson has been terrific for Liverpool this term and has been the fifth best goalkeeper in the Premier League this season.
#4 Neil Etheridge (Philippines, Cardiff City)
The Philippines international joined Cardiff City on a free transfer in the summer of 2017. He was brilliant in the Championship last season, helping his team secure promotion to the Premier League. Even though Cardiff failed to survive and have been relegated this season, their custodian was very impressive again.
Against the onslaught of teams and strikers of Premier League quality, Etheridge held his own and made some extraordinary saves throughout the season. He has very good reflexes and has been especially good at saving close range shots this year.
The Cardiff City custodian started in all of Cardiff City’s 37 games in the Premier League and has registered nine clean sheets this season, the seventh most in the league. He made 127 saves in the league, the second most among all goalkeepers. He has saved three penalties, the joint-highest with Jordan Pickford of Everton and also has 18 sweeper clearances, same as Tottenham's Hugo Lloris and second only to Watford's Ben Foster in the Premier League. These are extraordinary statistics for a player whose team have been relegated this season!
Etheridge has been one of the best goalkeepers in the league this season and could have a busy summer, as he deserves another shot in the Premier League.
#3 Rui Patricio (Portugal, Wolverhampton Wanderers)
The Portuguese is another goalkeeper who took the Premier League by storm this season after joining Wolves last summer from Sporting CP. Patricio missed just one game in the entire Premier League season, against Cardiff in March this year, and has been stellar for his club between the sticks. The Portuguese might have conceded 44 goals, but he has given some defiant displays in the league, helping Wolves to memorable wins over Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal, and managing a draw against Man City as well.
Patricio might be 31-year-old, but he still has cat-like reflexes and is very good at shot stopping. This season, he has managed seven clean sheets in the Premier League, same as Manchester United's David de Gea. He has made 92 saves and some of them have been excellent.
Wolves, who will finish seventh in the Premier League, also managed to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup, thanks to his heroics. It has been a brilliant season for the club and Patricio has been integral to their good fortunes. The Portuguese now looks like a great piece of business and will certainly be one to look out for next season as well.
#2 Lukasz Fabianski (Poland, West Ham United)
The Polish International is a veteran of the Premier League, having clocked up 218 appearances in total in the league. As a part of the West Ham team this season, Fabianski has been one of the standout performers of the league, and is clearly one of the best shot stoppers around right now. He has been an omnipresent part of Manuel Pellegrini's side this season, starting in all of the Hammers' 37 games.
Fabianski is another goalkeeper who likes to initiate attacks from the back. He likes playing long passes and is quite good with the ball at his feet. He is also quite adept at saving penalties, and has saved one spot-kick this season. Fabianski has managed six clean sheets this season, as some poor defending left West Ham open at the back time and again. However, the 34-year-old has made 140 saves so far, the most in the Premier League. He has also registered 28 high claims, the third-most in the league.
Despite the fact that he plays for a inconsistent West Ham side, Fabianski has been consistently good in the Premier League this season. He is second in our rankings right now.
#1 Ederson (Brazil, Manchester City)
After being pipped by De Gea in the 2017-18 Golden Glove race, Ederson found a new competitor in his countryman Alisson this season. Despite the fact that the Manchester City custodian is trailing to his Liverpool counterpart by a solitary clean sheet, Ederson has clearly been the better of the two in the league.
The City goalkeeper has 19 clean sheets, second only to Alisson's 20. Ederson has started all of City's games and is a vital part of Pep Guardiola's system. The Spaniard's love of building play from the back is complimented well by the Brazilian, who is extremely nifty on the ball. In fact, Ederson's goal kicks have been one of the longest in the world. He has often initiated City attacks by sending in defense splitting long balls into the box.
Between the sticks, Ederson is extremely reliable and is a fantastic shot stopper too. Ederson has been protected well by a stellar City defense, but he has always delivered when called upon. He has 55 saves this season, has conceded just 22 goals and has not committed any errors leading to a goal. He likes playing as a sweeper-keeper and has already registered 17 sweeper clearances this season.
As such, Ederson is our pick of the goalkeepers in the league this season and he certainly has been crucial for City as they aim to defend their title.
