Where have all the good goalkeepers gone?

Chelsea's Petr Cech has failed to reproduce his amazing form since his head injury in 2006

The so-called traditional ‘big four’ teams in the Premiership – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United have all conceded more goals so far this season than at the same stage last year.

This statistic perhaps comes as no surprise when you consider those horror defensive moments from normally stalwart defences.

Take, for example, United’s Rio Ferdinand’s weak challenge on Liverpool striker Fernando Torres as he goes in on goal last Sunday or the freakish moment at the Stadium of Light with the much reported ‘beach ball incident’.

These incidents, along with Arsenal’s record Premiership goal tally for this stage in the season has made for an exciting watch but it begs the question,

What has happened to those top quality defenders and keepers that have made that top four so impenetrable in the past?

Let’s have a quick glance at the goalkeeping situation of the ‘Big Four’ so far this season:

• Arsenal’s goalkeeping situation, or lack thereof, is the most laughable. The Gunners have come to rely on a 21-year-old Italian, Vito Mannone, who after an impressive display at Craven Cottage in late September has kept the No 1 position despite some shaky performances thereafter.

Since Arsenal’s preferred No 1, Manuel Almunia was brought down with a rather convenient “chest infection” after a less than convincing start to the season he has been unable to wrestle back his first team place from the Italian rooky. Despite his horror moments, most notably at Old Trafford when he brought down Wayne Rooney in the penalty area, Almunia is the best experienced option the Gunners have and therefore the most reliable option in my opinion for the forthcoming game with old derby foes Tottenham Hotspur.

• Manchester United and Chelsea’s international goalkeepers, Edwin Van der Sar and Petr Cech respectively, are two very experienced goalkeepers and have a collection of European and home cups between them. But arguably neither of them have that invincibility that they once had.

Van der Sar was sidelined for two months at the start of the 2009/10 season with a broken finger and a flappable yet promising Ben Foster took his place.

Cech is yet to re-produce that form since his horrific head injury in 2006 that made him one of the contenders for best goalkeeper on the planet. A low point so far this season came with his sending off at Wigan Athletic after he brought down Wigan attacker Hugo Rodallega in the box - a game Chelsea went on to lose 3-1.

• Liverpool’s Pepe Reina is perhaps the only goalkeeper in the ‘Big Four’ so far immune from criticism. Apart from the beach ball incident, he continues to be reliable and alert and the way in which he ran the length of Anfield’s pitch last Sunday when the home side clinched their win against Manchester United, indicates his level of commitment to the team. If anything, the thirteen goals Liverpool have conceded so far would be in part down to the legendary, yet ageing legs of Jamie Carragher and the lack of a stable central defensive pairing.

Van Persie set to sign new contract?

Robin van Persie has revealed that there is a 'big chance' that he will sign an extension to his contract that expires at the end of next season.

Now that Arsenal have reached the semi-finals of two major competitions, both domestically and within Europe, van Persie recognises that Arsenal can fulfil his trophy ambitions.

But what happens if it all amounts to nothing? That Arsenal strive hard but fall short in experience and depth of squad, given their defensive injury list.

Will the dutchman retract his latest positive comments regarding a new deal and flee to an established European club like AC Milan that has failed to qualify for the Champions League this season?

Winning trophies

To be fair to the striker, another trophyless season is likely to unsettle other Arsenal's young stars. Captain Cesc Fabregas is a winner too and will continue to attract the greats in Europe.

To relieve the pressure from this young talented squad, a trophy is in order. But with the prospect of an ebullient Chelsea and resilient Manchester United in these knock-out competitions, Arsenal can not afford to show any weakness in age or fight to get through.

Have Arsenal resurrected their title hopes in their win over Chelsea?

Robin van Persie’s two strikes in three minutes in the second half certainly will have boosted the young Arsenal side’s morale.

But the reality is, a team’s winning mentality should not just be seen against the top sides in the Premiership but in every single game they face.

Wins against ‘la crème de la crème’ of the league – Manchester United and Chelsea, are impressive, but the North London side have lost to more predictably easier opposition, like Premiership newcomers Hull and Stoke.

Why has Arsenal lost those games?

• Wrong mentality.

Manager Arsene Wenger summed this up in his post-match interview this afternoon:

"It’s part of the learning process…that you need to understand that in every
game you need to be in that kind of state of mind”.

Whether they always perform to the best of their ability is another matter but Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool will always play to win and be the best irrespective of how lowly the opposition maybe.

And that’s what it takes to win consecutive matches in the Premiership, something Arsenal have struggled to do this season.

Any team will always want to beat a top four side, claim that victory and slice of history. It seems West Ham’s goalkeeper Robert Green consistently plays the ‘game of his life’ against Arsenal every season because he wants to beat them, but it is also down to Arsenal’s attack to make life difficult for him.

• Arsenal lost a winner in Mathieu Flamini – who sadly departed on a free transfer to AC Milan over the summer.

The way Flamini prepared himself on the pitch before a game was quite telling of his committed approach. He would jump up and down on the spot and do windmills with his arms, revving himself up to be ‘the running man’ in the side.

Flamini would run at players, not allowing them any time on the ball, and would put in a challenge and break up play.

No other Arsenal player can really do that, and subsequently opposing midfielders float around and run through the midfield unchecked and expose Arsenal’s already vulnerable defence.

Flamini’s replacements - Denilson and Alexandre Song rarely put in an effective challenge.

• The loss of Belarusian midfielder Alexander Hleb to Barcelona has also affected the Gunners’s ability to retain the ball and start attacks.

Granted Hleb never scored goals like his replacement – Samir Nasri – but he got stuck in, could keep the ball for hours through his skill and trickery, and was far more consistent in his performances compared to the one-hit wonder Nasri is proving to be.

Arsene Wenger is unlikely to bolster his team’s title credentials with any purchases in January, believing to the end, in his youthful side.

But by then, the title is likely to be all but out of sight.