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23rd Oct 2016

Mark Schwarzer takes a hammering for his choice of best Premier League keeper

It's a game of opinions.

Tom Victor

Mark Schwarzer was a fine goalkeeper in his prime.

The Australian twice made European finals, coming one game from glory with Middlesbrough and Fulham, before picking up back-to-back Premier League winners’ medals without playing a single league game for Chelsea and Leicester City in their victorious seasons.

He was a solid choice as a pundit on Match of the Day, and offered some insight on goalkeeping and set-piece defending when he joined former Cottagers teammate Danny Murphy on the sofa.

But one of Schwarzer’s comments wasn’t quite as well-received as the rest.

Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City - FA Cup Fourth RoundMichael Regan/Getty Images

With a number of Premier League goalkeepers impressing over the last seven days – not least Hugo Lloris and Kasper Schmeichel during their respective sides’ Champions League outings – the subject of the best number one in the league was raised.

Schwarzer opted for Petr Čech – someone who certainly has laid claim to that honour in the past, but a goalkeeper who plenty of rivals’ fans don’t seem to think should even be part of the conversation.

https://twitter.com/D9Jordan/status/790118089132310528

Now, those of you with decent memories may recall that Schwarzer doesn’t seem to be the biggest David de Gea fan out there.

The 44-year-old was quizzed on the Spaniard’s abilities earlier this year on BT Sport’s ‘Fletch & Sav’ show, and was less than complimentary.

Still, there’s probably a bit of a difference between rating De Gea below Manuel Neuer – the best in the world in some people’s opinion – and giving Čech the upper hand.

You know what they say, though. Football is a game of opinions.

You can catch up on the latest episode of JOE’s Football Friday Live right here…