Simon Mignolet is midway through his fourth Liverpool season, and has had his fair share of justified criticism during that time. Crucial mistakes, as well as Reds manager Jürgen Klopp wanting a goalkeeper who can confidently play the ball out from the back, led to the purchase of German international Loris Karius for £4.7 million from Bundesliga side FSV Mainz 05 in the summer.
Jürgen Klopp’s Conundrum With Simon Mignolet & Loris Karius
However, due to his own problems adapting to life on Merseyside and in the Premier League, Mignolet has recently regained the starting spot between the sticks.
In the past two months, Mignolet has been starting in the Premier League, with Karius making appearances for cup games. Both keepers have recently been in strong form as they continue to compete for the consistent starting spot in Klopp’s line-up.
Simon Mignolet
The 28-year old regained his place after some shaky performances from Karius early on in the season. Mignolet saved a Theo Walcott penalty in the first game of the season against Arsenal, and shot-stopping continues to be one of his strengths. Recent performances against the likes of bitter rivals Manchester United were strong, in which he had to make crucial saves against the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Whilst all keepers should be good shot-stoppers, Mignolet has proven to be one of the best in the league in that regard. After all, some keepers have had their struggles. Just ask Claudio Bravo.
The Belgian international has had difficulty with distribution – another important reason to why Klopp found the need to sign a new keeper. The German’s system requires a goalkeeper who is good with his feet and is confident moving the ball forward.
However, neither Mignolet nor Karius have shown this attribute on a consistent basis. Both have similar pass completion rates of 66% and 65% respectively, which is an area that needs to be strengthened as the Reds continue to attempt to use possession valuably.
Although this is an aspect to his game in which Mignolet has shown recent improvement, it’s an area where he has to be very strong in order to maintain his starting spot in the long-term.
Along with the importance of confidence and dominance within a keeper’s own penalty area, Mignolet must also show improvements in how he deals with crosses. The physical nature of English football demands a goalkeeper who is strong in the air.
Mignolet currently wins an average of 0.6 aerial duels per game, in 11 Premier League matches. Liking to punch the ball in these situations, winning these duels is integral to the Belgian improving further.
Loris Karius
Klopp was right to take Karius out of the firing line after poor performances in his ten Premier League games. Crucial mistakes against Bournemouth and West Ham United led to him losing his place to Mignolet.
The 23-year old was signed to be Liverpool’s number one, and having time out of the team whilst continuing to play in cup games should give him opportunities to demonstrate his quality as he continues to improve and compete.
After some big saves against Southampton in the EFL Cup semi-final gave the Reds a lifeline going into the second leg at Anfield, further good performances may cause many to question whether supporters were too quick to judge him.
Some of the German’s costly mistakes have often been down to poor shot-stopping ability, an area in which Mignolet is more than capable. This is of course the most important element to goalkeeping.
Karius has shown flashes of his quality, but must improve his shot-stopping consistently in order to solidify the number one spot in the future. He has a reputation of a modern “sweeper keeper”, and was seen by many in German football as the second best Bundesliga keeper last season behind Manuel Neuer.
Making himself big in one-on-one situations is one of his better traits, which the club are yet to see from him on Merseyside. Last season he saved two penalties, kept nine clean sheets and saved 53 shots from outside the box; more than any other Bundesliga goalkeeper.
These are the sorts of areas in which Karius should contribute in every game he plays.
Whilst his distribution also needs to improve, it is adapting to the physical English game which is also a problem. In ten Premier League appearances, the 23-year old has won only 0.1 aerial duels per game on average.
He clearly has confidence with his feet, something Klopp looks for in his keepers. But it’s also important that he translates this confidence to his game when challenging opposing forwards in the air. The German’s aerial struggles against Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup third round replay signify how there’s still a lot of room for improvement. Karius needs to demonstrate this whenever he is called upon.
The Last Word
Liverpool fans would love to have a top-quality goalkeeper who can be relied upon every week. Whilst signing a new keeper looks very unlikely, Mignolet and Karius must continue to compete on a consistent basis. Mignolet has rightly earned his Premier League starting spot, whilst Karius continues to challenge him.
Karius is meant to be Klopp’s choice, and at a young age there’s still plenty of potential and time for him to develop.
How this situation plays out from now until the end of the season will certainly be intriguing.
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