Should this goalkeeper be Liverpool’s number one?

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When Simon Mignolet was offered a new 5 year deal at Liverpool at the beginning of 2016, many people were surprised by the club’s decision, believing that a new goalkeeper was going to be one of Jurgen Klopp’s summer transfer window priorities.

Some people believe the decision to renew Mignolet’s contract is a tactic to increase his sell-on value once another keeper has arrived, others believe the club will keep him as a number two whilst there are those who think he will remain Liverpool’s first choice stopper heading into the 2016/17 campaign.

This confusion and uncertainty encapsulates the Belgian’s time at Liverpool to date in a nut shell – moments of brilliance where he looks like a world class goalkeeper, interspersed with terrible errors that suggest he should be nowhere near the first team. This was also perfectly illustrated by the Capital One Cup Final last month, Mignolet’s first final for Liverpool. The Manchester City goal started from a poor kick by the Belgian before Fernandinho’ shot from a tight angle somehow went straight through him and into the net. However, in the face of adversity he stood strong, thwarting Sergio Aguero and City on more than one occasion to take the game to penalties and providing Liverpool with the chance to lift their first silverware for 4 years. Ultimately they were let down by their attacking players though whilst Mignolet could do very little about the three successful City spot kicks.

It suggests that psychological issues are not to blame for Mignolet’s disappointments because he often bounces back from them with greater vigour rather than going into his shell. The number of times he needs to do this though provides a problem for Liverpool and their manager.

Whilst many people will argue that ‘being a good shot-stopper’ should be something that all goalkeepers should be, Mignolet has been one of the best in the league in recent seasons with his reactions particularly impressive. However, this side of his game seems to have deteriorated this year and he is averaging just 1.09 saves per goal in the league compared to 1.70 and 1.63 in his first two seasons for the Reds.

When compared to the league’s keepers this season, the stats paint a poor picture for Mignolet with every other first choice goalkeeper, including those in the bottom three, averaging more saves per goal than the Belgian. To make matters worse, most of the number ones for the Premier League’s other top 13 clubs are averaging twice as many saves per goal as the Liverpool keeper. From those top 13, Leicester’s Kaspar Schmeichel and the much maligned Tim Howard who both average 2.03 saves per goal are the next lowest after Mignolet’s 1.09, a truly staggering difference. Even back-ups Maarten Stekelenburg and Boaz Myhill have a better ratio than the Belgian.

Liverpool fans would agree that shot stopping is Mignolet’s greatest strength so his struggles this season will be of massive concern. He is not the biggest or strongest goalkeeper, something that opposition teams often target from their set-pieces. Whilst the defence are not faultless for Liverpool’s inability to defend corners – only Swansea have conceded more than their 9 this year – having an indecisive goalkeeper behind them is creating a bigger issue. Mignolet’s approach to collecting balls into the box seems to be scattergun at best, sometimes coming for them, sometimes not, despite similar trajectories. This creates uncertainty in defence, something that has cost Liverpool dearly on numerous occasions in the past three years.

Another issue that Mignolet faces is his kicking and distribution. Regulars to Anfield will know that his kicks severely lack distance, often struggling to reach the halfway line. It means that the defence are under more pressure because an opposition player winning the first ball means they are already into Liverpool territory with the back four needing to turn back towards their own goal. The time that the Belgian takes over his kicks is also infuriating for the fans with Mignolet seeming unable to make his mind up on where to direct them. It may be a small issue but when added to other faults it is more likely to be scrutinised.

Whilst David De Gea, Petr Cech, Thibaut Courtois and Joe Hart may be out of Liverpool’s reach, there are plenty of goalkeepers who the Reds could realistically sign that are currently outperforming Mignolet. That makes the Belgian’s position extremely precarious and he’ll need to prove to Jurgen Klopp in the next two months that he deserves his spot in a revamped Liverpool side next year. Jack Butland has been arguably the goalkeeper of the season for Stoke and has been linked with the Reds whilst Fraser Forster has excelled on his return from injury. Many would argue that a move from Stoke or Southampton to Liverpool could be seen as a sideways move at present but whilst the Potters and Saints have established themselves as solid, mid-table Premier League clubs, they may see potential to challenge for a Champions League position under a Klopp led Liverpool. Additionally, there are numerous options from abroad, including in the Bundesliga where Klopp has called home before his move to Anfield.

With the number of options available to Liverpool and Klopp and a guaranteed summer overhaul of the squad to come, it seems unlikely that Mignolet will remain as the club’s number one, despite the backing of his manager to date. It will be interesting to see if Klopp wants to keep him as a number two and if so, whether the Belgian would accept that position having been the number one choice during his three year spell on Merseyside to date. However, his time as Liverpool number one appears to be nearing an end.

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