Six errors last season! The stats that suggest Liverpool need to drop Mignolet

Posted Wednesday, October 01, 2014 by Talksport.co.uk

Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has come in for criticism this season from every angle, with some suggesting he is not good enough to be the Reds’ regular number one.

The Belgian's decision-making has been questionable at times, and while his shot-stopping ability makes him a good goalkeeper, he has shown some technical deficiencies that are starting to place queries over whether he is a truly top class performer.

Kop legend Jamie Carragher has seemingly backed calls for boss Brendan Rodgers to recruit former Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes – who is currently recovering from a serious knee injury – to offer Mignolet some serious competition for the goalkeeper's jersey.

Mignolet insists he isn't concerned by the prospect of additional competition, but should the Spanish keeper arrive on Merseyside, should the former Sunderland man make way immediately?

Like all humans, Mignolet is susceptible to errors, but it is limiting the chance for error that separates a good goalkeeper with a great one. But how does he stack up to potential arrival Valdes?

Six errors last season! The stats that suggest Liverpool need to drop Mignolet

Perhaps the first area of concern is the total amount of errors made. Six unforced errors last season is quite a lot for a goalkeeper of a title-challenging, and once again, while Valdes has shown that he is also capable of dropping a clanger, his are largely limited.

Another area concerns handling. Mignolet has garnered a reputation as a specialist at shot-stopping, something evident in his high save totals for the last three full seasons, but it is his high tendency to punch compared to Valdes which is a little alarming.

Obviously different situations require different actions and it's perfectly valid to argue that Valdes hasn't faced as many scenarios where he has needed to punch clear, but the frequency with which Mignolet does so suggests that he is not as comfortable with the ball in the air as Valdes.

Statistics, naturally can be interpreted in any number of ways and there are a whole host of variables which are not accounted for – like just what sort of shape Valdes and his knee will be in after nearly a year out of football – but on the face of it there is enough to believe that Valdes would be a better choice for the number one spot should he arrive at Liverpool.