Premier League’s goalkeeping evolution led by “complete package” Alisson
Antti Niemi was amongst a long-standing group of top Premier League goalkeepers during a golden era for the Premier League.
The former Southampton and Fulham star was amongst the most reliable stoppers in the top flight between 2002 and 2008, a period during which he kept 34 clean sheets.
At the highest level, Petr Cech and Jens Lehmann arrived to nail down No.1 spots at Chelsea and Arsenal respectively whilst Edwin van der Sar starred at Fulham to earn a Manchester United move.
Alongside Niemi lower down the table, the likes of Brad Friedel, Tim Howard, Shay Given and Jussi Jaaskelainen were all held in high regard.
Looking back, it was a strong spell for the most important position in football – but Niemi reckons times have changed.
The 48-year-old Finn, who retired due to a wrist injury in 2008 before a brief return with Portsmouth the following year, believes demands are constantly on the ascendancy for those between the sticks.
“There are no bad goalkeepers in the Premier League,” he says, courtesy of Coffee Friend.
“You think about football overall, there are millions and millions of player all around the world and just a small number end up playing in the Premier League, especially goalkeepers.
“Anyone who is playing in the Premier League is a top, top keeper. The standard is high and the game has changed.
“Even I stopped playing in 2008, and in just over ten years it’s more demanding every season because the game is changing.
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“It’s not enough any more that you make saves – you have to be really good on the ball, play out with your feet and have so many attributes.”
In a new era for goalkeepers, two names stand out when Niemi watches the Premier League from afar.
“If I had to pick out a couple of names, I really like Kasper Schmeichel,” he declares.
“I might be guilty because I admired his dad so much when he was playing. He was my idol and simply the best goalkeeper anywhere.
“I sympathise, I really want to see Kasper Schmeichel doing well and he’s really producing at the moment. He’s a fantastic overall keeper.
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“Alisson is the easy answer. I think he’s a complete package and he’s been the rock for Liverpool the past few seasons.”
As Niemi says, Alisson is the obvious choice – not just the best in the Premier League, but also the world.
The £66.8million fee to sign him from Roma made him the most expensive goalkeeper in history and raised eyebrows back in 2018.
But he has gone on to justify his price tag with ease – something Niemi believes is down to being the “complete package”.
He states: “If you think about the top keepers in the Premier League, there are a lot of keepers who look good at times but Alisson is a good example of someone who is not flamboyant.
“When you speak about him, or you ask goalkeeping coaches, ‘what is he good at?’. You can’t pick one area like he’s a great shot stopper or he’s amazing with his feet.
“He’s just a complete package, and those rare talents end up playing at the best clubs in the world, which Liverpool are at the moment.
“When he’s playing for Liverpool, he doesn’t even stand out because he’s doing the basic things right – his positioning, how he bosses the defence around.
“He doesn’t even have to make that many saves, but when he does have to, he makes them and he’s just an all-around excellent goalkeeper.”
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