After an excellent start at Anfield, Simon Mignolet's form has inexplicably worsened in recent months, and costly errors are now a regular feature of his game. Mignolet has also won the Reds a few points with his magnificent saves this season, but Liverpool legend Dietmar Hamann admits he's worried about the Belgian's form, and he's urged the 'keeper to improve ASAP.
In his column for 5-Times over the weekend, Hamann - who won every available trophy except the league title during his time at LFC - observed:
"I have to say that the goalkeeper is a worry though. That mistake [against Aston Villa] was the third in recent games that has cost the team and Simon Mignolet has to do better"
Three months into the season and Mignolet - who cost the Reds £9m over the summer - looked like an amazing signing for the club, but like Philippe Coutinho, his form has suffered over the last couple of months, and he's now looking like merely an adequate signing, rather than a strong, confident long-term solution.
Pepe Reina went off the rails in his last couple of seasons, but when he first arrived at the club, he had 4-5 years of consistently excellent form, and he certainly never went through a slump like this in his maiden season at Anfield.
Rodgers doesn't appear to be worried, though. In a press conference last Thursday, he threw his support behind the beleaguered Belgian:
"He is still an outstanding goalkeeper but when you make those mistakes they get highlighted more as a keeper. He has come here because he's an outstanding goalkeeper and, I repeat, you don't lose your talent"
Mignolet clearly has to work on several key areas:
* Distribution/kicking.
* Coming for crosses.
* Authoritative command of the six-yard box.
To me, Mignolet seems to be quite a timid personality on the pitch, especially when things go wrong. He doesn't have the confidence to shout and harangue his defenders, and that's a problem. That didn't matter so much earlier in the season when things were generally going well, but with defensive mistakes piling up, it's important to have a tough goalkeeper who keeps the defence in line. Peter Schmeichel he 'aint, that's for sure.
Prior to last night's superb victory, Mignolet had conceded 5 goals in two games, but he delivered a solid performance against Everton; made several top class saves, and kept an all-important clean sheet, which should work wonders for the Belgian's confidence.
Is Mignolet the long-term solution for LFC...?
Author: Jaimie K
In his column for 5-Times over the weekend, Hamann - who won every available trophy except the league title during his time at LFC - observed:
"I have to say that the goalkeeper is a worry though. That mistake [against Aston Villa] was the third in recent games that has cost the team and Simon Mignolet has to do better"
Three months into the season and Mignolet - who cost the Reds £9m over the summer - looked like an amazing signing for the club, but like Philippe Coutinho, his form has suffered over the last couple of months, and he's now looking like merely an adequate signing, rather than a strong, confident long-term solution.
Pepe Reina went off the rails in his last couple of seasons, but when he first arrived at the club, he had 4-5 years of consistently excellent form, and he certainly never went through a slump like this in his maiden season at Anfield.
Rodgers doesn't appear to be worried, though. In a press conference last Thursday, he threw his support behind the beleaguered Belgian:
"He is still an outstanding goalkeeper but when you make those mistakes they get highlighted more as a keeper. He has come here because he's an outstanding goalkeeper and, I repeat, you don't lose your talent"
Mignolet clearly has to work on several key areas:
* Distribution/kicking.
* Coming for crosses.
* Authoritative command of the six-yard box.
To me, Mignolet seems to be quite a timid personality on the pitch, especially when things go wrong. He doesn't have the confidence to shout and harangue his defenders, and that's a problem. That didn't matter so much earlier in the season when things were generally going well, but with defensive mistakes piling up, it's important to have a tough goalkeeper who keeps the defence in line. Peter Schmeichel he 'aint, that's for sure.
Prior to last night's superb victory, Mignolet had conceded 5 goals in two games, but he delivered a solid performance against Everton; made several top class saves, and kept an all-important clean sheet, which should work wonders for the Belgian's confidence.
Is Mignolet the long-term solution for LFC...?
Author: Jaimie K
We were conceding less goals playing three at the back than what we are with 4. Our defence has been dire recently so that has also contributed to Mignolet's dip in form.
ReplyDeleteFlanagan made a massive difference last night down the right. It is about finding the right CB partnership too and Toure/Sakho or Sakho/Agger still need to be tried.
If your defence is suspect then it will make your goalkeeper look suspect.
Give him a chance, both Mignolet and Coutinhio were great last night
ReplyDeleteI liked Mignolet from the beginning. I think he's a strong minded lad and learns from his mistakes. He knows that as a goalkeeper, you make some mistakes and they get highlighted a lot more. I think he can turn into a topclass keeper, he's got the foundations. I've been impressed with a lot of things I've seen from him. Definitely better than Reina.
ReplyDeleteOur defence has been somewhat cagey for a while now and I guess it's only natural for a gk to leak some goals as he doesen't feel he can trust his defenders to do their part. And he is a very young lad and to judge him now after half a season is as close to stupidity as it gets.
ReplyDeleteAnd especially young for a goal keeper.
ReplyDeleteBring pepe back so they can fight for the first spot .
ReplyDeleteBuy Pastore and mvilla
Exactly!!
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't help having a back four which is constantly changing in front of him. He's still a good keeper and doesn't deserve dropping. He was solid last night..
ReplyDeletegive him a break, he has done very well for us so far. yes he has made a couple of cock-ups but he hasn't had a consistent back four in front of him all season. a 'keeper will always do better with a regular , competent, pair of centre halves in front of him.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair to Mignolet he's only been at Liverpool for 6 months, he is very young for a goalkeeper so he still has many years to improve, every goalkeeper has dodgy spells, Joe Hart was aweful a few months back. We all learn from our mistakes and I'm sure Mignolet is no different, I think overall he's been a good signing and a long term solution for sure however I think it would be a good idea to sign another goalkeeper as back up in the summer like Chelsea with Schwarzer and spurs with Friedel or go the other way and get a young promising goalkeeper, Jack Butland?
ReplyDeleteif someone can let me know when we get a competent pair of centre halves, that would be appreciated!!! (half a joke there).
ReplyDeleteThe lad looks like a decent player from the bits I've seen but, should another winger be our priority? Sterling is playing well, Jordan Ibe is a star in the making, Suso is doing well out on loan and will surely come back in after the summer and we've also got Moses. If we are going to sign just one player before the window closes surely it's gotta be central midfielder? Preferably a defensive one. We don't seem to have pots of money so is it wise to strengthen an area were we are already pretty well stocked??
ReplyDeletereina had a phobia of defending his near post.
ReplyDeleteNo he is not. He did well last night but that is because it was mostly his strengths that were called upon. He is a great shot stopper and that is what was asked of him last night. Had Lukaku not gone off you would have seen a lot more crosses coming into the box and he would have struggled. Like I said when he signed, he's no Courtois. Not even close. What baffles me is that he is apparently worth 9 million but an attacker with CL experience is not worth 11.
ReplyDeleteReina was AWFUL in his first season. Made way more cock-ups, every aspect of his game was weak. Mignolet has been much better this season then Reina was in his first. If he improves at the same rate Reina did, then wa-hey
ReplyDelete'cagey'???? be honest fella, you mean terrible.
ReplyDeleteHow many costly errors has he made? Honest question. I can think of the goal we conceded against Villa, when he came and flapped, but after that I'm struggling.
ReplyDeletei'm all for him, but stoke was another...
ReplyDeletewhy what's happening?
ReplyDeletetotally agree, dudek was shit on by benitez mignolet has saved stuff this season that reina wouldn't have got near
ReplyDelete'dudek was shit on by benitez'. you could drop the words 'on by benitez' and that would have been an accurate assessment. apart from istanbul, he was dire.
ReplyDeleteDuring his last season or so Reina must of been beaten at his near post 15 times. He lost all credibility.
ReplyDeleteMignolet is a terrific shot stopper and superb reflex goalkeeper. His one on one ability is very good. But I agree his distribution and dealing with aerial balls must be worked on.
You shouldn't strictly judge a keeper on total goals conceded. We should look at individual errors that have lead to goals or clear cut chances.
He saved the shot from Jagielka in the box, he often pops up with saves like these at critical points during matches. If that was Reina in goal, 1-1 IMO.
Mignolet at the moment seems to be a liability. His kicking is shocking, 4-0 up last night and yet 1 clearance and 1 goal,kick end up out of play giving the opposition throw ins. He struggles big time with his decision making on corners and crosses, do I come do I not... But agree with other comments, that he hasn't built a trustworthy 6th sense communication with the central defenders because every week someone new is in front of him. Our defence is shocking, as I mentioned last week, times are bad when we need to score 5 at Stoke because our defence will ship 3, same at Villa, we could have been 4 down before half time. Cissoko must have had as Scorcese involved in his agents DVD, because he is the worst footballer I have seen in a long time. On a brighter note Flanagan seems to have matured.
ReplyDeleteBecause he had mixed performances so far and I cannot decide whether he is our long term solution.
ReplyDeleteright oh, i thought you were doing something nice, that's all.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the CM that we are after is not available right now and we are seeing it out till the summer?
ReplyDeleteYes, sometimes people think they are a bit smart.
ReplyDeletethat doesn't answer the question as to why we are buying someone in a position(s) that we are ok for.
ReplyDeleteYes totally agree. Good point.
ReplyDeletethank you.x
ReplyDeleteHow about we finish 4th and Man Utd win the CL. That would be a heart attack moment. I think if we sign few reinforcement, we can finish 3rd as Arsenal are facing some tough fixtures ahead.
ReplyDeleteClearly we do need a CM, even Rodgers mentioned that but we do not know exactly each and every player our scouts and Rodgers are after. We do not know the availability of players either. We only go according to what media and agents say.
ReplyDeleteWhy would you even say such a thing!?
ReplyDeleteWe need to make sure that we cross the line this time!!!!
ReplyDeletespot on! i would rather finish bottom half than have that lot win another cl.
ReplyDeletewhat??? let them win another european cup just to get to the qualifiers!!!!!?????? you are one of them down the road, in disguise because no real, sane liverpool f.c. fan, who cares and loves the club would agree to that. dear oh dear.
ReplyDeleteAre you crazy? Did I say they should win the CL?
ReplyDeleteI think his point was if we finish fourth and utd win the CL we lose out on CL qualification to Utd, which would be the worst possible outcome.
ReplyDeleteAlso, they have players coming back from injuries, they signed Mata and looks like they have relatively easy EPL fixtures. They are out of both domestic cups so they only need to focus on two competitions. Anything can happen.
ReplyDeleteWinning the CL does not gain you qualification to the following season unless the rules have changed?
ReplyDeleteYou forgot Spurs finished 4th but didn't qualify for CL because Chelsea won the CL that year and finishing 6th in EPL.
ReplyDeleteThat's fair enough then mate, that could be the reason. So then is it wise to spend £15m on a player we don't need. Why not save that money and spend it on a top class midfielder in the summer?
ReplyDeleteyes we do need a cm, but the question was, why are we buying players for positions that we are doing ok for?
ReplyDeletearghhhhh stop it stop it stop it!
ReplyDeleteIs Mata cup tied for the Champions League?
ReplyDeleteYeah, forgot that. Spurs must have got a very nice compensation package from the EPL/Uefa.
ReplyDeleteLFC have won European Cup/CL 5 times so think the situation you are picturing might turn out to be slightly different to that of Spurs.
I think there can be maximum of 2 additions in the squad registration for ECL (January window) who has played for another club in the same competition.
ReplyDeletecompensation package? slightly different? rules are same for everyone regardless the history in the CL
ReplyDeleteYou didn't consider this scenario before, did you?
ReplyDeleteWhy did Everton play in the 05/06 CL then? We finished 5th in 04/05.
ReplyDeleteSpurs would have been paid out money to make up for not being able to participate in the CL. Clubs earn peanuts from the Europa League.
That year 5 teams qualified for CL from EPL
ReplyDeleteLads mignolet is a top keeper and will be a top keeper for years to come . Its good to see the hysteria has died down over the Salah deal . Our team seems to have developed a lot of whinging high maintenance supporters. It's hard to believe that some idiots were calling for Rogers to be sacked the other day . We went out last night and hammered Everton playing the best football that has been seen in Anfield for a long time. Do these idiots who were calling for Rogers head still want him sacked . I think Rogers has done a great job , it's not his fault that Abrahmovich and a handful of oil rich Arabs have created a new breed of soccer fan who seem to have little connection or affinity with their clubs history and are only interested in instant gratification .
ReplyDeleteapparantly yes.
ReplyDeleteunban Carra
ReplyDeleteThat must have been the biggest secret ever!
ReplyDeleteGo read my post again please.
since when? as i understand it, if the player played a preliminary game and his team went out, then got sold on to a club in the proper competition, only then, could he play.
ReplyDeleteI just think he looks nervy at moment and lacks authority in his area especially when dealing with crosses . Ok he has stopped some good shots mainly palming out which could go anywhere or given away corners . Distribution has been poor which should and could be easily improved upon and a great asset in our style of play yesterday . Most probably a good second GK would be healthy competition for him and essential when we make Europe .
ReplyDeleteOh, could be. I wasn't so sure. I think you are right.
ReplyDeleteYes, I stated that in self shock actually. There must have been changes in rules but I don't think UEFA pays any compensation. Absolutely impossible.
ReplyDeleteAn exception to the usual European qualification system happened in 2005, after Liverpool won the Champions League the year before, but did not finish in a Champions League qualification place in the Premier League that season. UEFA gave special dispensation for Liverpool to enter the Champions League, giving England five qualifiers. UEFA subsequently ruled that the defending champions qualify for the competition the following year regardless of their domestic league placing. However, for those leagues with four entrants in the Champions League, this meant that if the Champions League winner finished outside the top four in its domestic league, it would qualify at the expense of the fourth-placed team in the league. No association can have more than four entrants in the Champions League.This occurred in 2012, when Chelsea – who had won the Champions League the previous year, but finished sixth in the league – qualified for the Champions League in place of Tottenham Hotspur, who went into the Europa League
ReplyDeleteNo one is perfect. He's playing behind an unsettled back four and in his first season is probably unsure of how much of a leader he needs to be. Reina had a pretty formidable defensive unit in front of him, not to mention a defensive tactician in Benitez who would have had the team inch perfect from day one. Rodgers is hardly a defensive genius, he likes his players to press but plenty of the issues we've seen this season are tactical and that's part of what the manager needs to take responsibility for.
ReplyDeleteI'm not convinced that some of those "mistakes" were so bad. Keepers can have plenty of luck at times so it follow that they will have their share of bad luck. By any standard Mignolet is still one of the best in the league and a few goals doesn't change that. He'll continue to make brilliant saves and let in the occasional soft goal. I believe I've seen all the goals that have gone in during this supposed run of bad form and I can't see anything major gone wrong in what he's doing.
Eto's goal was poor as was the goal from Negredo
ReplyDeleteMignolet has phobia of having the ball at his feet, collecting crosses, and dealing with anything that comes into the 6 yard area (ask Skrtel, he was abolustely livid with Migs' inability to come and take care of a simple ball into the box against Everton that could have turned into something worse). Still think he's the long term solution as his talent is undeniable but he is far fron the final article we need him to be.
ReplyDeleteAnd it always makes me chuckle how quickly people forget how good Reina was for 5 years...I mean, we NEVER worried about the defence during those years and would be furious when we didn't keep a clean sheet! When Migs has 3 golden gloves...then we can start comparing him with Reina IMO
Winning the CL gains you qualification for the following year. the rules were amended the year LFC won yet did not make top 4 (2005), in that year 5 teams from PL were entered into the competition. The following season the rules were amended again to state that if the winning team from the previous year does not make a qualifying spot in their domestic league they still qualify for the tournament next year, and that countries domestic leagues qualifying spots are reduced by one (tottenham lost out to chelsea in 2012).
ReplyDeleteSo Chirags point was if we finish fourth, and Utd outside that but they win the competition, they will cost us our spot in CL next year.
He is more of a stopper rather than a saver and most are reflex 'saves ' To prove my point last night our defence was so sound that he was called upon only 5 times and gave away 3 corners and palmed / punched out twice - one straight to Barry who should have scored ! We cannot afford to give teams like MC , Arse , Chelski etc. a second chance and will put him under much more pressure .I know he his young and will improve etc. but we need stability NOW
ReplyDeleteOur breaking out of defence and pace up front was awesome and if we can just play as a team like this in the future we will be up there with the best of em ;-)
As I recall the match was played in a steady and sometimes torrential downpour. I would like to see anyone attempt to catch and hold the ball in such conditions. Let's gain some perspective.
ReplyDeleteAnd let's remember the conditions the match was played in also..tough for anyone.
ReplyDeleteB Rodgers should forget about A Turan(26) Of A Madrid for 27-33M
ReplyDeleteInstead B Rodgers needs to bring these three players to club in next three days for 37M
Yevhen Konoplyanka(24) Of Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk for 12-17M to play on RW or LW as RW / RWF or LW / LWF
Y MVila(23) Of Rubin Kazan for 8-12M to play as DM / CM
F Reges(26) Of Porto for 6-8M to play as CM or DM
These three players would definately shore up midfield and make team, squad alot stronger and we will make top 4 with these three players at club. With Allen, Agger, Enrique and Sakho soon back fit . Those 3 players would help club maintain top 4 finish all the way until May 2014
Not too sure if they're true but, we might get Milner on loan with and option to buy at the end of the season. He would be a great signing and could fill in for gerrard or play alongside him in midfield. Both have: a killer shot, good range of passing, strength, decent dominance in the air, good leadership skills and Milner has a LOT more stamina so he can press the opposition a lot. so he could cover gerrard at times, or play next to him while Lucas is injured.
ReplyDeleteEither way he would be a great quality signing who could strengthen the first team or be our Utility Man.
Mignolet
Flanagan- Skrtl- Sakho- cissoko
----------Gerrard
------------------------Milner
------- ----coutinho
Sterling
----------Sturridge
Suarez at RW. sorry 4got that
ReplyDeleteRemember what happened to Spurs when Chelsea won it.
ReplyDelete