Picking the goalkeeper

There are lots of theories about how to choose you goalkeeper. Goalkeepers score points by playing, keeping clean sheets, and making saves (especially penalties) with the odd assist and even odder goal. But they lose points for conceding goals (as well as yellow and red cards).

There is one school of thought that suggests that having a keeper who doesn't play is a good idea. But I don't hold with that. I can't see how having a player on the pitch who is not going to contribute anything is in anyway sensible.  I my view therefore, you want a keeper who is going to play every game. But do you want a keeper who has a tight defence in front of them and therefore doesn't get the opportunity to make that many saves but might get more clean sheets, or one that has a more porous defence and will be called upon more frequently. Concede 1 goal and you lose the 4 points for the clean sheet. Concede 2 and it's an additional point lost. 4 will mean another 1 lost. 4 is unlikely. 3 counts the same as 2. But 1 point is won for every 3 saves. There is a fine balance.

If you look at points you could just decide to go for the top scoring keeper for last season, Joe Hart of Man City. He is also the most expensive keeper along with Petr Cech of Chelsea. But if you look at points per million pounds, Asmir Begovic of Stoke is better value along with Juski Jaaskaleinen of West Ham. And let's not forget the surprise package of the previous season, Michel Vorm of Swansea whose relatively low points total last year was affected by injuries.

For my first choice keeper I am going to save a few pennies (£1 million actually) and go for the £5.5 million pound Wojciech Szczesney of Arsenal. His points total was also impacted by injury. Assuming he plays more games this season I think his total will challenge those of the £6.5 million Cech and Hart and the £6 million Lloris and de Gea (Spurs and Man U).

For second choice, the temptation is always to save money again by choosing the Crystal Palace reserve keeper who will be cheap as chips but will never trouble the scorers unless there is a horribly unlucky set of circumstances. Sure enough Lewis Price is only £4m. Mind you Julian Speroni, the Palace number 1 is only £4.5m. And he will play regularly. But he is also likely to concede a lot. I want someone who will play, in case I need him, who will play behind a reasonable, possibly improving defence and who has a track record. I am going for Vorm at £5m. I may revisit that decision if I find myself scrabbling for the odd £0.5m but that will only buy me newly promoted keepers or second string ones.

So Szczesney and Vorm it is.

Of course there is a downside to choosing the Arsenal goalkeeper. It means I can only have another two Arsenal players in my squad.