As Martin Atkinson blew the full time whistle, Manchester United walked away with all the three points after dismantling the uninspired Liverpool 2-1. The Merseyside outfit who were reduced to ten men less than a minute into the second half; Steven Gerrard couldn’t control his frustrations and he ended up seeing red for stamping Ander Herrera in his ankle. The result might have left a bitter taste in the mouth of the Kopites, because it obviously is a powerful blow to Liverpool’s Champions League hopes.
Add to this the international break, and it could maybe have a psychological effect on their following fixtures. However, the silver lining in the dark cloud that seems to have dropped by for a while at Anfield is peculiarly something that would have been risible if it were uttered a couple of months ago.
Simon Mignolet’s monumental improvement and his chance now to win an annual league award for his performances.
Early Season Woes
In the first 8 league fixtures, Mignolet managed to keep only one cleansheet, at Tottenham. In the same fixtures, Mignolet conceded 12 goals, and with the Liverpool sans Suarez and Sturridge failing to score enough, only managed to win four of them; hardly a solid start from a team which almost grabbed the league title from their Manchester rivals after decades of waiting. Not only in the league, Mignolet’s performances were equally clumsy on the European stage. The Belgian made a terrible howler against Bulgarian side Ludogorets for the minnows to take the early lead. Once again Mignolet was woeful in games against West Ham and Crystal Palace. His unsatisfactory performances led to him being benched in favour of Brad Jones, a honest, hardworking professional but nevertheless of a lesser quality. Tim Howard, the opposite number at Liverpool’s Merseyside rivals Everton, clamied that it is “a hard road back” and that “when you get taken out of the team, sometimes there’s no way back.”
Inspirational Mid Season Turn-Around
However Jones’ injury led Mignolet back between the sticks in an important fixture versus Manchester United and although Liverpool faced a comprehensive 3-0 defeat, Mignolet has never looked back since. Tactically speaking, a change in formation must have greatly helped the 27 year old; usually due to a lack of good defensive cover, the goalkeeper is often exposed and beaten. Liverpool’s only true defensive midfielder is Lucas Leiva, and before his rejuvenation which coincides with Liverpool’s and Mignolet’s rise in form, Liverpool’s centre backs never gave Mignolet the cover he liked. But with the hybrid 3-4-3 formation, Mignolet has three centre backs in front of him, which means added security.
But a big part of his success belongs to his attitude. He knew he wasn’t playing well, but he never wavered, and even with all the increasing pressure, transfer rumours of an incoming goalkeeper included, he kept his head straight and in the end showed why Brendan Rodgers spent on him. In the last ten games, Mignolet accumulated seven clean sheets, and also for the first time since Shankly days, kept six away clean sheets in a row. This defensive solidity was the factor behind Liverpool’s rise to the top of the form table. Even yesterday, as Liverpool were outclassed, the goalkeeper managed to save a last minute penalty after Emre Can shoved Blind from the back, to keep hopes of an unlikely equaliser that never came. Mignolet credits his watershed moment to his fiancée Jasmien who gave him confidence, advice and belief at just the right time.
Chances Of Winning The Golden Glove
Mignolet has a remarkable 12 cleansheets, only bettered by the likes of Fraser Forster and Ben Foster. However, both of them have been ruled out with injuries giving Mignolet a real clear cut shot at winning the competition. Another close candidate is David De Gea with ten clean sheets, but the brilliant shot-stopper faces a tough run-in of fixtures, meaning the Belgian has a chance to extend his lead at the top. Winning the Golden Glove would mark a phenomenal turnaround for Mignolet, who could go from a laughing stock and scapegoat to a key cog and winner. This possibility should only inspire him to perform better, and in that process help Liverpool string together another set of impressive results.
Main image:
