Has Ben Foster been the Premier League's stand out goalkeeper?
Ahead of Saturday’s round of Premier League fixtures, Paul Merson made the most obvious comment of – at the very least – the season. On 8th placed West Brom, he said: “Take away the top seven and they’re top.” It's true, however, that the top seven are unlikely to be budged, perhaps Everton aside, making the Baggies very much the best of the rest as things stand. With a seven point gap between themselves and West Ham in 9th, Tony Pulis’ side are well placed to secure a top-8 Premier League finish for just the second time in their history.
Indeed, with 12 games still to play it wouldn’t be too much of a shock to see them record their highest points total in a Premier League campaign. A 2-1 win over Bournemouth at the weekend ensured they reached the fabled 40-point mark as West Brom continue to earn the admirers on the back of a strong season under Pulis. The Baggies were tough to watch last term, noted in that not only did they score just 34 goals, but conceded 48 as the West Midlands outfit consolidated their Premier League status.
They’re undoubtedly a far more aesthetically pleasing team to watch this term, with their current points haul a testament to this. That being said, it was Ben Foster’s showing that guaranteed West Brom all the spoils at the Hawthorns on Saturday, and not for the first time either. The 33-year-old shotstopper made two late saves against the Cherries to ensure the Baggies all three points, gaining a WhoScored rating of 7.25 in the process. This season, Foster has an average rating of 6.88, which is his best in the Premier League after the 6.94 attained during his loan spell with Birmingham in the 2010/11 campaign.
Having missed a significant chunk of last season with a knee problem, Foster is undoubtedly back to his best in England’s top tier as he provides the solid last line of defence for Pulis’ side. This is becoming increasingly crucial for the Baggies considering they are averaging the lowest possession (40.6%) in the Premier League this term. Pulis has attempted to implement a fast break approach, which means West Brom see less of the ball than any other Premier League side and has helped them develop a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of ‘counter attacks’.
Indeed, only Chelsea and Manchester City (both 4) have scored more counter-attacking goals than West Brom (3) in England’s top tier this term, despite having scored considerably more goals than the Baggies - Chelsea with 55 and City with 51 compared to West Brom’s 36. What does stand out though is that, despite sitting back to soak up pressure, West Brom allow their opponents an average of just 13.5 shots per game. Much of this is down to remaining compact in the middle of the park, thus limiting space for opponents to go for goal.
This tack forces opponents wide in their attempts to break West Brom down, but even here they’re able to repel the threat, either by the centre-backs or through Foster and his impressive command of his area. Only Lukasz Fabianski (46) has claimed more crosses than Foster (34) in the Premier League this season, more then capable of easing pressure on his goal where required. What’s more is that only Tom Heaton (104) has made more saves than the 33-year-old (86) in England’s top tier this term, while he has the best save success rate of 77.3% is better than any goalkeeper to make more than 10 Premier League appearances this season.
It’s not just his shotstopping ability that has earned praise, however, with Foster capable of instigating attacks. While many a manager demands his goalkeeper play the ball out from the back, West Brom’s low possession average means he is often forced to play the ball long in order to maximise Salomon Rondon’s physical qualities allows him to successfully hold off opposition defenders to bring others into play or even go for goal himself. Here, Foster’s accurate long ball ability means he can routinely pick out Rondon and his teammates from goal, which only increases West Brom’s chances of scoring using their direct approach.
When fans talk of the Premier League’s best goalkeeper this season, Foster is often unfairly overlooked, but he has proven in the current campaign that he is one of the finest in his position in the league. With West Brom on line to usurp their record Premier League points total, Foster’s influence at the back has once again been key in the Baggies’ rise up the table.
