Football News: Liverpool FC - Goalkeeping Dilemma Part 2
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Welcome to Part 2. For those of you who missed Part 1, we covered Loris Karius, Alisson Becker and Jack Butland.
As discussed previously, Loris Karius is the most likely of the current Liverpool goalkeepers to still be at the club next season. However, nothing in football is certain and Simon Mignolet could well end up staying if there are no takers.
(This piece will cover another 3 keepers who could still realistically be our first choice keeper next season)
Simon Mignolet
Mentality:
Mignolet's biggest weakness has always been his constant errors. He just never learns from them. When Liverpool dominate a game but only lead by a narrow margin, Mignolet gives opposition teams hope. They all know that if they can get a shot on target, Mignolet will probably not be in the game. 3/10
Handling:
Coupled with his lack of concentration, Mignolet also struggles to catch any ball looping or moving at pace. In fact, if your flat block was on fire and you wanted someone to catch your baby from the top floor, you'd probably have Stevie Wonder ahead of Mignolet in the pecking order. 3/10
Sweeping:
Again, Mignolet is found lacking here. He lacks any semblance of bravery and just looks like he is trying to avoid getting hurt. It is so bad that he has literally just dangled out a leg and brought strikers down in the past. In fact, we saw this against both Jamie Vardy and Mame Biram Diouf last season alone. 3/10
Reflexes:
Of course, Mingolet made it into football somehow. He made it because he is a run of the mill shot stopper. Though he may struggle with the all around requirements to be a top keeper, he does at least stop most shots you'd expect him to. 5/10
Distribution:
This isn't getting any kinder though, because there probably isn't a worse kicker of a football in the Premier League aside from Tiémoué Bakayoko. He breeds nervousness when called upon to clear his lines. 3/10
Presence:
To his credit, Mignolet has improved in this area to the point where he is now average. He was once awful at commanding his area, but he has been slightly more vocal and much more decisive in the last 18 months. 5/10
I'm not going to beat around the bush here; Mignolet is not Premier League level. In general, he is a below average goalkeeper and he will never be good enough for Liverpool. He is a very nice person and I wish him all the best, but he simply has to be moved on. Overall score 22/60
Keylor Navas
Mentality:
Navas is not a very popular keeper for many reasons. However, you cannot question his mental strength. Playing for Real Madrid is a pressure only rivalled by playing for Manchester United, and Navas does not let that break him. He makes mistakes, but none of them are due to a lack of mental strength or concentration. 8/10
Handling:
Another modern keeper, and another keeper who struggles with handling. I don't know whether keepers are just coached to not catch the ball anymore, but Navas probably would struggle even if he wanted to. He is above average in this department, but not great. 6/10
Sweeping:
Navas is quite quick and agile for a keeper. It does help him a lot when coming off his line as unlike most keepers it is hard to go around him. He has made some fantastic saves in one of one situations. 8/10
Reflexes:
Navas is not what I would consider to be a top shot stopper, but he does do it to a good standard. He gets down very well to low shots in particular. This isn't his strongest point, but it is no weakness either. 7/10
Distribution:
Just above average, really. He is composed enough on the ball to not get caught on it, but his passing and throwing can be wayward as soon as he attempts anything other than a simple pass. He gets the ball to safety at least. 6/10
Presence:
Navas is quite short for a keeper and thus he does struggle to command his box. He talks to his defenders well enough, but he can actually be beaten in the air by most dominant centre backs. He's not terrible in this department, but he is pretty average. 5/10
Overall, Navas is a good keeper. He has won 3 Champions League titles in a row and that doesn't happen to bad keepers. My issue is that he is not really an upgrade on Karius and being well into his 30's, has no real room for improvement. Overall score 40/60
Pepe Reina
Mentality:
Since leaving Liverpool, Reina has grown into a very experienced keeper. In terms of concentration and focus, he's vastly improved and was a big part of Napoli's success last season. A reliable keeper takes pressure off the defence and Reina is reliable. 8/10
Handling:
Reina has always had superb hands. He holds on to shots and crosses he really has no right to be holding at times. With experience this has only improved as he's learnt when to catch and when to punch. 8/10
Sweeper:
Reina has never really had to sweep behind a particularly high line until he joined Bayern Munich. So it was a genuine surprise to see an old dog learn a new trick so quickly. He is no master of the trade, but he reads play well and stands up tall in one on one situations well. 6/10
Reflexes:
As with all older keepers, Reina has lost a bit in terms of his reactions. He used to stop pretty much anything that didn't hit a beach ball on it's way in. He is still pretty agile, but he doesn't get down or across to close range attempts like he used to. Above average for sure, but this side of his game is in decline. 6/10
Distribution:
Reina has always been a fantastic passer of the ball both on the ground and particularly from a drop kick. There were rumours he occasionallybplayed outfield in training. Class is clearly permanent because he hasn't lost it at all and is still one of the best distributors the game. 8/10
Presence:
If Reina is anything, it is authoritative. He talks to his defence and commands his box very well. He's one of the few keepers left in the game who still consistently tries to catch crosses into the box as well. A dying breed. 8/10
Reina has been one of the best keepers in Europe since 2007, and even in his worst period, he was still good enough for the likes of Bayern Munich as back up to Manuel Neuer. He left Liverpool in disgrace so coming back would probably require either party to swallow their pride in my opinion. Overall score 44/60
Written by Adam Jones June 13 2018 10:47:11
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