To the A-League and Round 15 saw four clean sheets recorded for the men with the gloves. Matt Ryan continues to impress here and abroad and still tops the clean sheet statistics with seven for the season. But it is Ryan’s very small goal conceded tally of just nine that places him in the most wanted category for European clubs in particular Rangers. Fortunately for his Manager Graham Arnold, Ryan’s trial with Rangers was put on the back burner due to a minor shoulder injury suffered in the impressive two goal win on Sunday over Western Sydney Wanderers at Parramatta Stadium. Given Central Coast’s position atop the A-League ladder, Ryan’s presence at the back would be a tremendous boast to their Premiership aspirations after coming so close last season.
Adelaide United’s
Eugene Galekovic will be hoping his New Year return to clean sheet form will continue
after his side’s unfortunate 6-1 Western Sydney ‘Nightmare before Christmas’
and the doubling of his goals conceded in a single game. Nathan Coe (Melbourne Victory) and Mark
Birighitti (Newcastle Jets) are also performing well with Birighitti getting on
the board for is first clean sheet of the season. Birighitti made a courageous return to the
team after suffering a painful cheekbone injury in mid November that was set
rule him out for up to eight weeks. The club's first clean
sheet of the season will please Manager Gary Van Egmond no end, as they
are second only to Sydney FC for goals conceded. The save of the week has to go
to Mark Paston for his low down reflex effort against the Brisbane Roar on New
Year’s Day. This weekend’s clash between
the Melbourne Victory and the Central Coast Mariner promises to be an exciting
clash and its wonderful to see the Victory Club and the A-League branching out
their supporter base by playing the game at Aurora Stadium in Launceston.
Moving to the EPL
and after a busy festive period, many squads have had the opportunity to rotate
and rest players for the third round of FA Cup fixtures. There were a few clean
sheets recorded including the surprise win over Chelsea by QPR. Julio Cesar pulled
off one of the saves of the round by denying Fernando Torres in recording his eighth
EPL goal of the season. It was Cesar’s second clean sheet and went a long way
in helping his relegation poised side record their first away win since
November 2011 and first win at Stamford Bridge in 30 years.
Meanwhile at
Liverpool, Pepe Reina continued to keep Brad Jones warming the bench as his
side took care of Sunderland at Anfield.
The win helped place them into eighth place on the ladder. This week will
be the ultimate test for The Reds as they travel to Old Trafford to take on
their fiercest rivals in Manchester United.
They last met back in September where United took the points in an emotional
and spiteful clash following the red card handed to Jonjo Shelvey for his
sloppy challenge on Jonny Evans. David
De Gea has been in good form in the box for the Devils after keeping six
unanswered goals in a very lean Christmas period for their opponents.
Joe Hart has his
chance to share clean sheet honours with Stoke City’s Asmir Begovic as Man City
travel to Emirates Stadium to try and silence the guns of Arsenal. Hart comes
off the back of two consecutive clean sheets against Stoke and a FA Cup third
round win over Championship side Watford. The match promises to be an
interesting clash as there is never too much between the two sides if their one
all draw at The Etihad back in late September is anything to go by.
That’s all for
another week, the best of luck to your team this week and here’s hoping for a
plethora of scoreless draws so we get the keepers back in the back page
headlines where they belong.
Random Clean Sheet Trivia Question
What keeper has the highest goals conceded tally in the EPL and what is the number?
(As at the end of Round 21)
Football Quote of the week:
Ronaldo on the Ballon D'or"If I could, I'd vote for myself. Being too humble isn't good. In Portugal, we say 'Too much humility is vanity'."
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