The Golden Glove went down to the wire last season with Petr Cech claiming the award on the final day of the season with 16 clean sheets. David De Gea, Kasper Schmeichel and Joe Hart all narrowly missed out with 15 clean sheets apiece. The quality of keepers has just increased as the seasons have progressed and as the famous saying goes, a good keeper earns you 10-12 extra points and that has certainly been shown by more than one keeper in the League.
Three goalkeepers who will be crucial for their teams are:
Petr Cech
Petr Cech has been one of the best keepers in the Premier League as well as the world for several years now. He saved Arsenal on numerous occasions on the way to the Golden Glove last season. His experience is also priceless and he’s a proven winner. Wenger never found a real replacement for Lehmann though Szczesny did show promise. With Cech, he has that world class keeper he’s been craving for a long while.
David De Gea
The Spaniard has proven to be the best keeper in the League over the last few seasons. He has single-handedly won games for United which has seen him named as Manchester United’s best player for the last 3 seasons. Despite missing the first few games due to injury, he still almost won the Golden Glove award missing out with one clean sheet.
The back four in front of De Gea has never been World Class, except for Smalling who has significantly improved over the seasons but still has a long way to go. Reinforcements have been signed in the form of Bailly but he will need time to adjust. De Gea has come a long way from his shaky first couple of seasons at Old Trafford and he will once again be crucial if United are to fight for the title.
Thibaut Courtois
The Belgian keeper was touted to be the best in the world but had a very disappointing season last time out. His lack of discipline cost him and the club big time as Chelsea needed him to be at his best with the season they were having. Chelsea’s defence still seems very shaky. Ivanovic was shocking last season and looks past it, Terry is probably playing his last season of football, Gary Cahill struggled to meet expectations. With Zouma set to miss the beginning the season due to injury, Chelsea seem very vulnerable at the back. Hence, it is vital for them that Thibaut Courtois is back to his absolute best this coming season.