If there’s one divisive topic for Liverpool supporters everywhere, it’s the subject of Reds ‘keeper Simon Mignolet. While it’s pretty safe to say that the Anfield outfit have problems at the back, whether or not you blame the Belgian shot stopper for the vast majority of those woes tells what side of the fence you’re on.
Some supporters just don’t trust him, but Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has given his backing to the under fire 26-year old — a player he brought in to replace the then incumbent Pepe Reina. “He’s our No1 keeper, he’s got plenty experience,” said the Northern Irishman ahead of the Reds meeting with West Ham United later in the day. “He just continues to work on that relationship with the back four and deal with that.”
His lack of aggression in the box, accusations of indecisiveness at set-pieces and all around poor decision making are the most common complaints you hear about Mignolet with the surprise loss to Aston Villa last weekend and the late equalizer against PFC Ludogrets only highlighting each and every one of them. Although the Reds continue to be linked with a move for ex-Barcelona ‘keeper Victor Valdes, the Liverpool boss has put his faith in the the Belgian — for now, anyway.
“The key thing, and the message to all the players in that situation, is make sure you are the front foot. Be aggressive, don’t wait for it. He’s a bit of a laid-back type of person in his personality. But I think he’s aggressive” he said of the shot-stopper before again confirming that they’re working on their on-going issues, including set-pieces. “So we have talked about getting organised quickly in the game, and doing your job, making sure you are marker doesn’t get in front of you. At times, we didn’t defend it well enough.”
