A Critical Look at Loris Karius
Please note that this article was written before the Southampton game.
Over the years, Liverpool have had persistent goalkeeping problems that have ultimately contributed to the club being unable to make decisive surges forward to win silverware. Liverpool’s last trophy was won in 2012 with Pepe Reina between the sticks, and a year later Simon Mignolet was signed to assume the position for the club moving forward. Since then, Liverpool haven’t won any form of silverware and the current manager …
The Mignolet Problem
What a week it has been so far for Liverpool fans. With the arrival of Steven Caulker on a six month emergency loan, something that split fans' opinions, the news that Joel Matip has allegedly agreed a contract with Liverpool and will walk away from Schalke on a free transfer during the summer, news that will no doubt be greeted with glee once it's announced officially and finally the news that goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has signed a five and a …
Bundesliga Goalkeepers That Would Improve Liverpool FC
It’s fair to say David De Gea almost, certainly, single-handily dragged our bitter rivals to that Champions League spot last season, so I guess it wouldn’t be imprudent to slap a heavy investment towards a dominant number one.
Whilst newly appointed Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp may well work his magic on some of the fringe players in the squad, it may be prove to be an arduous task to convert Simon Mignolet into the quality required to compete at the …
Ray Clemence | Heroes of Our Past
Let’s start by being a little contentious for the younger generation who never saw the man play, or – at best – have seen little bits of his performances on YouTube and official LFC merchandise: Raymond Neal Clemence was the best goalkeeper I ever saw, in any team, ever – better than Banks, Shilton, Zoff, Meier, Yashin, Buffon, Cech, Neuer – the lot.
Clem was exactly six feet tall – not huge for a keeper, with an odd smile, thin …
What Makes a Goalkeeper a Keeper? (Part 1)
What Makes a Goalkeeper a Keeper?
First to be blamed; last to be credited – that’s the life of a goalkeeper. It's often said that a striker can laze around, shoot blanks and run like a headless chicken for the entire game, but his stoppage (Fergie) time goal makes him the hero. A goalkeeper on the other hand, can make Superman-like saves the entire game, yet his one and only blunder makes him the villain. For Liverpool however, we had to wait until Brendan Rodgers …
Simon Mignolet: Thou Shall Not Pass
On a popular football management game - the one inventively titled Football Manager - the attribute for a goalkeeper’s distribution with feet is called “kicking”, not “passing”. This crude definition of one of the footballing aspects of a goalkeepers' game, indicates that there’s still some way to go before they’re considered the eleventh outfield player.
Brendan Rodgers is one of a growing number of coaches who would like their man between the sticks to contribute more when the team has …
Liverpool vs West Brom including and Mignolet vs Foster Comparison
A new month and hopefully a new start for Liverpool in the Premier League, as West Bromwich Albion travel to Anfield for Liverpool’s first 3 o’clock kick off of the season on Saturday. September should have been a month to remember for Liverpool as they re-entered the UEFA Champions League after a 5 year absence. However, Liverpool’s Premier League form has definitely made it a month to forget for the Reds, as they picked up 1 of 9 available points. …
Simon Mignolet - Is he still good enough? A comparison to rivals
Earlier in the season, following Liverpool's 2-1 defeat at Manchester City, I wrote an article looking at Simon Mignolet's first season up to that point as the Reds' first choice goalkeeper following his summer move from Sunderland.
At the time he had just made himself public enemy number one to a group of fans (oh how there have been many in that position this season), and questions were being asked. Since that article was published, have his performances improved? Have …
Liverpool's Defensive Errors - Mis-shapes, Mistakes, Misfits
On looking at the league table, it would be easy to blame Liverpool’s failure to win the title on their defence. It would be easy to do, partly because it’s true. However, there are many things to take into account when analysing why a team concedes the goals they do. What follows is a look at Liverpool’s defensive errors in comparison with other teams, and a brief look at whether the mistakes are systemic or the fault of individuals.
Team …
Simon Mignolet: A potential problem averted
Summer signing Simon Mignolet slotted straight into the Liverpool setup, and has been one of the key players for the Reds so far this season.
For goalkeepers, they're usually a commonly-used scapegoat for a lot of mishaps that go wrong in a campaign, especially those chasing the top places.
As mentioned previously, not being in the limelight is the biggest recognition that the Belgian could have wished for. It's easy for the finger to be pointed at the new goalkeeper …