Goalkeepers often go under the radar at football clubs, the flair, goalscoring and eye-catching displays from attacking midfielders and forwards are far more likely to garner headlines and praise from fans. A bit like the drummer in a rock band, they are liable to take a back-seat to the more flamboyant lead singer or guitarist, but they hold the whole thing together and you'd certainly notice a bad one, or if they weren't there!

After another fine performance at the weekend, Petr Cech garnered an 'outstanding' rating from manager Arsene Wenger, as he has done so many times already this season.

While attacking players like Ozil and Sanchez get the praise and create the big moments, Cech quietly goes about his business, bringing a calming and confident air to the Arsenal back-line. And while goals ultimately win you games, I would argue that the addition of a goalkeeper of such quality is the main factor in the north London side looking like they might finally win the Premier League after a long, long barren spell without league success.

And with Arsenal and Chelsea set to meet again in the Premier League this weekend, the spotlight will once again turn to the big man from the Czech Republic.

Having been giving his blessing on a move to rivals Arsenal by owner Roman Abramovich, much was made at the time regarding the transfer, with Chelsea captain John Terry remarking that Cech was liable to save the Gunners "12 to 15 points a season", whilst (former) manager Jose Mourinho sounded his displeasure at the move - just one of many reasons for the troubled start to the season, but that's a whole different story!

And so far this season it looks like Terry will be proven right, his former team-mate has been putting in a number of fine displays and making crucial saves, keeping his side in the game on numerous occasions. Big performances in the league against the likes of Liverpool and Spurs spring to mind, not to mention an outstanding display in the Gunners' surprise 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Ever since the 'Invincibles' season of 2003/04, when Jens Lehmann commanded the penalty area, Arsenal have gone through an assortment of questionable goalkeeping 'talent' that includes Manuel Almunia, Lukasz Fabianski, Vito Mannone and, most recently, Wojciech Szczesny. None of the 'keepers excelled and are arguably one the main reasons Wenger and Arsenal went trophy-less (the Emirates Cup doesn't count, Arsenal fans!) for so long.

The attacking talent and style of play has never been in question under Wenger, goalscoring opportunities and creativity making the current FA Cup holders one of the most attractive teams to watch in Europe over the last 10 years or so. And whilst he has still to answer fans' calls regarding a world class centre-half, or a legitimate midfield enforcer, the addition of the former Chelsea man this season has transformed the side from 'also-rans' in the chase for the title into genuine favourites - or at the very least, strong contenders.

So whilst Mesut Ozil has (rightly) been lauded for his guile and creativity this season (16 assists and three goals) and the energy, passion and technical ability of Alexis Sanchez is heralded week in, week out by Arsenal fans, it's my opinion that the real star at Arsenal this season is the 33-year-old from Plzen. Cech broke many goalkeeping records while at Chelsea and has recently claimed the clean-sheet record in the Premier League (170) during his time at Arsenal.

So while all eyes are on the wealth of attacking players at Wenger's disposal, the real plaudits should go to Cech.

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