5000-1 - The 2016/17 Premier League thread

[Crimey]

First topic message reminder :

Also, considering mine and pretty much everybody's doubts Mane has been a fantastic signing.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Great.

I hate those c****

[GSC]

Jack Wilshere is such an exercise in frustration. How badly England need him to remain fit. Yet he won't

[Dolphin Ziggler]

He will struggle to find a fit in what appears to be England's likely style; he cannot really press like some of the Spurs and Liverpool lads, and has not yet got the discipline to hold.

[Crimey]

He was awful in the game on Sunday, totally anonymous, in the first half he had has many touches as Loris Karius. I think he'd have been more successful 10-15 years ago, the game has moved on from him and he's not fit enough to keep up.

Very disappointing collapse, were completely complacent and Klopp made a mistake not changing things. Sadio Mane looked nackered after 40 minutes and Firmino was anonymous. Needed to kill the game off, or even bring on one of the youngsters whose enthusiasm could have helped keep momentum going. I'm not massively concerned, top 4 is the aim and that's still well on and it's the first loss in a while. Hopefully it gets it out of the system and we can get another decent run together. With Sturridge, Matip, Coutinho and Ings all injured with Lallana just coming back it was always possible a result like this would come.

Personally I'm starting to be a little disappointed in Wijnaldum. I wasn't convinced by the signing, but he did well in his early games. Since his slight knock he's been really disappointing, very little creativity, doesn't take on his man, isn't particularly hard-working defensively. I'm not sure what he's there to do. Emre Can is rougher but at least he tries things. I think Wijnaldum was helped being part of a midfield three with Henderson and Lallana with Coutinho still in the side. The creativity of the others meant his ability to just play simple passes and keep the ball moving was valuable, now that we were missing the two creative hubs of the side, Wijnaldum looked really limited.

[lfc91]

Still can't wrap my head around that collapse. Keeper was a disaster but still, literally looked to be right back to square one where any team who shows a bit of desire and has a go at us will get a result. Hopefully just a one off caused by injuries etc. However as people have pointed out it clearly highlights what is missing for a realistic title challenge. Some effort by Bournemouth though, great belief to keep going for the win. Well earned.

Hopefully back to winning ways this weekend.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

I am pretty convinced you will be

[Crimey]

How long do we expect Slaven Billic to last? 

He's been given the dreaded vote of confidence and at least West Ham aren't in the relegation zone right now. 

Will he make it past Christmas? It does feel like he's been screwed by the poor investment in the summer, the desperation to sign a top quality striker ended with Zaza coming in which is got to be disappointing. He did so well last year, but that good faith can only last so long.

Then the question is who would they bring in to make a difference? Sam Allardyce would likely be talked about if there wasn't already history there. Frank De Boer would be an option that they have explored before and the Inter Milan spell will have dimmed his star somewhat meaning West Ham might have a shot, but would that really help them in a relegation battle?

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Dont want any of the names floated or even likely. Mancini at least has some experience of here and has reputation. I'd rather go down that hire a manager to keep us up and get back on the "stabilise, build, sack for better option" cycle.

The vote of confidence does generally mean something from those two, because to speak they then dont want it thrown back in their faces. I'd guess he is fine until at least the New Year, unless we lose all the games following Liverpool.

Bilic is far more popular than the board, and they probably know that they need to be in a position where they have little other option before they sack him or there will be backlash.

[Crimey]

Ray Wilkins says he'd let Mezut Ozil go to make room for Jack Wilshere....

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/premier-league/arsenal/alexis-sanchez-reportedly-offered-400kaweek-china-move-while-wellknown-pundit-calls-on-arsenal-to-jettison-mesut-ozil-35276713.html

[GSC]

Could make a play for Benitez again

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Resting those players in the Champions League is going well for Leicester

[Hero]

Not so much for Man City resting theirs.

[Crimey]

A real show of tactical arrogance from Guardiola. He set that team up perfectly for Leicester to beat, what on earth was he thinking.

[Jermaine2015]

John Stones is a pile of crap. No defensive ability whatsoever. £50m down the drain

[Josiah Maiestas]

Team intensity was awful, slow-medium paced passing all game. Thank god for Costa!!

[Dolphin Ziggler]

If Mourinho finishes 6th is he a failure, or do we have to reassess LVG's time there?

[Guest]

What if he finishes 6th and wins the Europa League?

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Spurs are so frustrating to watch. They get to the final third and then refuse to take any risks and half the time end up back at Lloris!

[Atila]

I wouldn't have given him the job, but if Mourinho finishes 6th, he's not a failure to me. United's football is better to watch and the fans seem to be happier with him than they were with LVG.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

4 individual errors for goals there.

Mane terrifying, Liverpool otherwise a bit huff n puff. Think if we were in better form and not so scared we'd have gone at that and won.

[Born Slippy]

I said on here a few weeks back that I was amazed Liverpool hadn't tried to get Hart. It's possible that City wouldn't have sold him to a rival but it does look as though relying on Karius may really cost them. Mignolet looks a better goalkeeper to me.

That said, Guardiola's judgement in replacing Hart with Bravo looks ever more questionable. He also set City up on Saturday in a way which was perfect for Leicester to play. Is he starting to be exposed as something of a flat track bully without the real nous to influence matters when his squad isn't quite performing?

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Klopp and Karius both need to be quiet. Neither seems to be able to defend their position with any level of class

[Fernando]

I would agree but Sky pundits at the moment seem to pick players out and try end them before they start. You just have to look at Moreno now they've moved onto Karius. 

I don't remember them being as critical about De Gea when he came to England making blunder after blunder not controlling his box.

[Guest]

You'd think Jamie Carragher was this world beater of a centre back and not your every day run of the mill English defender at times, the way he talks.

Klopp went wrong today in bashing the Neville brothers but going easy on "Carra"...

Roy Keane is about the only pundit today I can take seriously.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

De Gea got slaughtered! Very selective memory if you forget that. Papers in particular crushed him.

[Hero]

Yep De Gea got an absolute battering by the press for several months until the Chelsea game:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2038507/You-want-De-Gea-flop-says-Sir-Alex-Ferguson.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2012/01/sorrowful_and_tormented_de_gea.html

[Scott is Back]

And in all fairness, De Gea was poor to start, and didnt man his box very well....but he showed glipses of genuine quality.

Karius hasnt shown anything! Comes to something when Mignolet is the better option.

[Crimey]

Mignolet is definitely not better than Karius. It's been 10 games for Karius for Christ's sake. 

It's been blown well out of proportion, he made a couple of mistakes, nothing major, but he's been a lot more confident and controlled than Mignolet ever was. I'm glad that Klopp is doing away with Mignolet and trust in Karius to come good. 

My problem is with the goalkeeping coach, since he was brought in Jose Reina became terrible, despite that he's been great for Napoli since he left. Mignolet came as a praised keeper from Sunderland and became awful and now Karius, voted 2nd best keeper in the Bundesliga has started to struggle. Got to question the quality of the coaching staff.

[Scott is Back]

Mignolet is definitely not better than Karius. It's been 10 games for Karius for Christ's sake. 

It's been blown well out of proportion, he made a couple of mistakes, nothing major, but he's been a lot more confident and controlled than Mignolet ever was. I'm glad that Klopp is doing away with Mignolet and trust in Karius to come good. 

My problem is with the goalkeeping coach, since he was brought in Jose Reina became terrible, despite that he's been great for Napoli since he left. Mignolet came as a praised keeper from Sunderland and became awful and now Karius, voted 2nd best keeper in the Bundesliga has started to struggle. Got to question the quality of the coaching staff.

Fair point - but in a further 10 games, any more of those errors could cost you a decent shot at the league (hate to say it, but your in a good position currently).

Is Mignolet not the safer pair of hands at the moment (neither are great, and neither should be near a team challenges for the EPL), whilst Karius is bedded in during cup games, youth games, extra training?

[Born Slippy]

Anyone got any guesses how Yaya managed to "unintentionally" drink alcohol? Feels like his statement is missing an explanatory sentence!

[Crimey]

Mignolet is definitely not better than Karius. It's been 10 games for Karius for Christ's sake. 

It's been blown well out of proportion, he made a couple of mistakes, nothing major, but he's been a lot more confident and controlled than Mignolet ever was. I'm glad that Klopp is doing away with Mignolet and trust in Karius to come good. 

My problem is with the goalkeeping coach, since he was brought in Jose Reina became terrible, despite that he's been great for Napoli since he left. Mignolet came as a praised keeper from Sunderland and became awful and now Karius, voted 2nd best keeper in the Bundesliga has started to struggle. Got to question the quality of the coaching staff.

Fair point - but in a further 10 games, any more of those errors could cost you a decent shot at the league (hate to say it, but your in a good position currently).

Is Mignolet not the safer pair of hands at the moment (neither are great, and neither should be near a team challenges for the EPL), whilst Karius is bedded in during cup games, youth games, extra training?

Definitely not. I feel like it's crazy that it's only taken a couple of games for people to forget just how terrible Mignolet was. In the meantime the mistakes Karius has made, of which only one can be considered a really poor mistake, have been nothing compared to the weekly shambles that was Simon Mignolet.

Karius is 24, not 19 and he was one of the best goalkeepers in the Bundesliga last year. He's more than capable as a keeper and I already feel much more comfortable and confident in his ability than I do of Mignolet. It also helps that he can speak German as can Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren which should improve communication in the backline.

[Scott is Back]

Mignolet is definitely not better than Karius. It's been 10 games for Karius for Christ's sake. 

It's been blown well out of proportion, he made a couple of mistakes, nothing major, but he's been a lot more confident and controlled than Mignolet ever was. I'm glad that Klopp is doing away with Mignolet and trust in Karius to come good. 

My problem is with the goalkeeping coach, since he was brought in Jose Reina became terrible, despite that he's been great for Napoli since he left. Mignolet came as a praised keeper from Sunderland and became awful and now Karius, voted 2nd best keeper in the Bundesliga has started to struggle. Got to question the quality of the coaching staff.

Fair point - but in a further 10 games, any more of those errors could cost you a decent shot at the league (hate to say it, but your in a good position currently).

Is Mignolet not the safer pair of hands at the moment (neither are great, and neither should be near a team challenges for the EPL), whilst Karius is bedded in during cup games, youth games, extra training?

Definitely not. I feel like it's crazy that it's only taken a couple of games for people to forget just how terrible Mignolet was. In the meantime the mistakes Karius has made, of which only one can be considered a really poor mistake, have been nothing compared to the weekly shambles that was Simon Mignolet.

Karius is 24, not 19 and he was one of the best goalkeepers in the Bundesliga last year. He's more than capable as a keeper and I already feel much more comfortable and confident in his ability than I do of Mignolet. It also helps that he can speak German as can Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren which should improve communication in the backline.

Fair enough

I for one, hope he stays sh!te

[lfc91]

Mignolet is definitely not better than Karius. It's been 10 games for Karius for Christ's sake. 

It's been blown well out of proportion, he made a couple of mistakes, nothing major, but he's been a lot more confident and controlled than Mignolet ever was. I'm glad that Klopp is doing away with Mignolet and trust in Karius to come good. 

My problem is with the goalkeeping coach, since he was brought in Jose Reina became terrible, despite that he's been great for Napoli since he left. Mignolet came as a praised keeper from Sunderland and became awful and now Karius, voted 2nd best keeper in the Bundesliga has started to struggle. Got to question the quality of the coaching staff.

Fair point - but in a further 10 games, any more of those errors could cost you a decent shot at the league (hate to say it, but your in a good position currently).

Is Mignolet not the safer pair of hands at the moment (neither are great, and neither should be near a team challenges for the EPL), whilst Karius is bedded in during cup games, youth games, extra training?

Definitely not. I feel like it's crazy that it's only taken a couple of games for people to forget just how terrible Mignolet was. In the meantime the mistakes Karius has made, of which only one can be considered a really poor mistake, have been nothing compared to the weekly shambles that was Simon Mignolet.

Karius is 24, not 19 and he was one of the best goalkeepers in the Bundesliga last year. He's more than capable as a keeper and I already feel much more comfortable and confident in his ability than I do of Mignolet. It also helps that he can speak German as can Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren which should improve communication in the backline.

Currently choosing between the 2 feels a bit like choosing between catching Chlamydia or Gonorrhea.

Long term I think (maybe hope is more appropriate) Karius will come good. Like you say, voted 2nd best keeper in Germany and all that. That being said, I truly believe Mignolet would have stopped 2 of the goals vs Bournemouth and the FK against West Ham. Although that's not to say he wouldn't have made some other horrendous mistake in those games.

Think Karius has suffered due to Mignolet's struggles the previous seasons. Was immediate pressure on him stepping into the GK role for Liverpool because of everything that has happened the past few years and he doesn't seem to be coping with it all that well. Only time will tell, but you can put your house on the Liverpool GK (whichever one of them is between the sticks) causing us to drop another 5-10 points at least the remainder of the season.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Think Mignolet's early times at Liverpool were better than Karous, Mignolet makes more silly mistakes than Karius, who seems to just not know what he should be doing at times.

But he needs to work, not talk

[Crimey]

To be fair, it was questions he was asked, it's not like he was seeking out journalists to slag off Gary Neville.

[lfc91]

Think Mignolet's early times at Liverpool were better than Karous, Mignolet makes more silly mistakes than Karius, who seems to just not know what he should be doing at times.

But he needs to work, not talk

I agree. Think Mignolet started with a penalty save in his first game if i remember correctly. Definitely endeared him to the fans for a while.

I don't have much patience when it comes to football so have been advocating putting Mignolet back in for weeks now. However Klopp will have his own ideas, and seeing as he is a proven world class manager and i'm just some guy who likes to rant on his lunch breaks, I'm more than happy to back his decisions on these things.

[Crimey]

For weeks?

What did Karius do before the Bournemouth game to warrant wanting him dropped? He barely had to make a save in any of the previous games and certainly didn't make any mistakes.

[Crimey]

Here's what the interviewer had to say about Karius.

PUBLISHED: 22:30, 12 December 2016 | UPDATED: 22:30, 12 December 2016

• Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius was simply defending himself and mocking him further isn't going to help things
  
  
• Loris Karius hits back at his critics as he admits he 'messed up but I don't care what Gary Neville says'
  
  
• Karius has made mistakes but we should not be killing him with criticism
  
  
• He is new to first-team life at a really big club and needs time to settle in
  
  
• When the German keeper spoke about Neville he was simply acting like an adult
  
  

By Ian Ladyman for MailOnline

Sometimes it is easier to criticise a footballer than stand up for one. Especially when he is making mistakes.

Liverpool’s Loris Karius is certainly making mistakes. One at Bournemouth, another at home to West Ham on Sunday. Already, they have been costly for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Karius, though, finds himself under fire for more than failing to catch a couple of footballs. The 23-year-old, new to first-team life at a really big club, has been criticised for something he said in an interview with this newspaper last week.

Gary Neville and his brother Phil have both said their piece on TV. So, too, Sportsmail columnist Jamie Carragher.

They believe Karius was wrong to respond last week to their criticism of his play at Bournemouth. They feel he was wrong to say he did not care for Gary Neville’s opinions.
So here is the bit where we stand up for him. Here is the bit where we provide some context. I conducted the interview with the young German last week. Twenty minutes in, I asked him about Neville and Karius responded.

This is what he said: ‘I don’t care what Gary Neville said. He was a top player, then he was a manager for a short bit and now he is back to being an expert again. He is always very critical. I think he does it to everyone. I just hope that when I do well he will comment on that. We will see in the future.’

From a 50-minute interview, that part took up about 35 seconds. Karius was not animated or emotional. He just answered the question.

I have done enough player interviews to know when someone is aggravated or wound up, when they want to make a point. I have also listened to enough players who are simply too scared or disinterested to answer a straight question with a straight answer.

This fell into neither category. Karius was just being a grown-up. He was just having a conversation with a tape recorder running. The interview, conducted in Liverpool city centre last Thursday, had been arranged prior to the Bournemouth game. I actually thought he would cancel it or that his club would. Football’s default response to misfortune these days is often to say nothing, hide away until better days. After his error I did wonder whether he would think twice about doing the interview with me It is easy to sing when you are winning. Much harder to front up when you have just made a mug of yourself live on TV.

But Karius fronted up. He owned up. Put his hands up, no pun intended.

The theme of the interview was not Gary Neville. It was about hope, regret, ambition and learning from mistakes. Then we talked about his interesting background. Maybe not everybody had the patience to read that far down. I hope his critics did.

Gary Neville criticised Karius, but Klopp defended his man by bringing up Neville's time as a manager at Valencia. So the context here is that Karius is not a guy looking to pick a fight with one of our most respected pundits. He is a guy merely looking to stick up for himself. Both Nevilles and indeed Carragher believe he should not have done this. ‘Just shut up and play,’ said Carragher on Sky on Sunday. I can see their point and I don’t doubt their motives. They are honest men and part of a wave of modern analysts who have taken football punditry to a new level. But let’s not kill a young goalkeeper for having the temerity to sit down and talk. And let’s not pretend we all know why he said what he said. There were only two people in the room . . . and I was one of them.

[lfc91]

For weeks?

What did Karius do before the Bournemouth game to warrant wanting him dropped? He barely had to make a save in any of the previous games and certainly didn't make any mistakes.

Yeah as in - Sunday - Sunday = 1 week of wanting to drop him.

Sunday - Now = Second week of wanting to drop him.

Although in the interest of accuracy it's been only 9 days.

[Hammersmith harrier]

I don't care what somebody says but my manager and I are both going to comment on it like a pair of children.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Sounds like a man defending himself and trying to further a story whilst he's there. Nothing new to say but want the controversy to continue? Write a column justifying it.

His comments about Neville were immature, and Klopp has gone at him with the same line. Not mentioned Carragher yet have they?

I find that article by Ladyman just funny. Picks the quotes, then defends the player for saying it because they were just part of the interview. If you believe that article with any sincerity then you're a mug

[Dolphin Ziggler]

LEts nit prwtend Karius had been free of criticism before Bournemouth...

[lfc91]

LEts nit prwtend Karius had been free of criticism before Bournemouth...

No he hasn't. But up until that point I can't think of any ridiculous game changing mistakes. Do remember having the feeling that overall he wasn't looking to great though. Aerial presence and distribution especially.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

I typed that well

[Hammersmith harrier]

Goalkeeper is a difficult position to judge really; Van Der Sar did very little that was flashy but had complete control of his area whereas Jaaskelainen was a brilliant showstopper but had no real presence much like Friedal.

[Crimey]

I don’t care what Gary Neville said. He was a top player, then he was a manager for a short bit and now he is back to being an expert again. He is always very critical. I think he does it to everyone. I just hope that when I do well he will comment on that. We will see in the future.’

That is entirety of what Karius said, having being asked what he thought of Gary Neville's comments. I don't see what is immature there or why it's even worth comment. I'd say Neville getting upset over that as a comment is a lot more immature. Klopp's comments were more of a jab and not particularly necessary but I'm glad he's sticking up for the players. 

I honestly have no idea of any criticism of Karius before the Bournemouth game, I think he didn't even have to make more than a save a game for his first 4-5 games. He kept a couple of clean sheets and was let down by the defence a couple of times but Bournemouth was the first time he made a mistake and then people have overreacted about the Payet free kick.

Let's not forget that Gary Neville is the same pundit who criticised Mignolet for not saving Phil Jagielka's thirty yard half volley in the last minute of the Merseyside derby. I'm not sure he's got a clue what he's talking about when it comes to goalkeepers.

[Scott is Back]

I don’t care what Gary Neville said. He was a top player, then he was a manager for a short bit and now he is back to being an expert again. He is always very critical. I think he does it to everyone. I just hope that when I do well he will comment on that. We will see in the future.’

That is entirety of what Karius said, having being asked what he thought of Gary Neville's comments. I don't see what is immature there or why it's even worth comment. I'd say Neville getting upset over that as a comment is a lot more immature. Klopp's comments were more of a jab and not particularly necessary but I'm glad he's sticking up for the players. 

I honestly have no idea of any criticism of Karius before the Bournemouth game, I think he didn't even have to make more than a save a game for his first 4-5 games. He kept a couple of clean sheets and was let down by the defence a couple of times but Bournemouth was the first time he made a mistake and then people have overreacted about the Payet free kick.

Let's not forget that Gary Neville is the same pundit who criticised Mignolet for not saving Phil Jagielka's thirty yard half volley in the last minute of the Merseyside derby. I'm not sure he's got a clue what he's talking about when it comes to goalkeepers.

Considering he has spent his playing career around some of the best goalkeepers to grace the game, working closely with most of them as a right back for 15+ years, i reckon he has a fair idea of what is required from a goalkeeper. Whether he should be wading in about it is another thing, but i think he knows what makes a good keeper, and a poor keeper.

This is more Neville just doing what he does best, trying to rattle the scousers....and its working.

[Crimey]

I don’t care what Gary Neville said. He was a top player, then he was a manager for a short bit and now he is back to being an expert again. He is always very critical. I think he does it to everyone. I just hope that when I do well he will comment on that. We will see in the future.’

That is entirety of what Karius said, having being asked what he thought of Gary Neville's comments. I don't see what is immature there or why it's even worth comment. I'd say Neville getting upset over that as a comment is a lot more immature. Klopp's comments were more of a jab and not particularly necessary but I'm glad he's sticking up for the players. 

I honestly have no idea of any criticism of Karius before the Bournemouth game, I think he didn't even have to make more than a save a game for his first 4-5 games. He kept a couple of clean sheets and was let down by the defence a couple of times but Bournemouth was the first time he made a mistake and then people have overreacted about the Payet free kick.

Let's not forget that Gary Neville is the same pundit who criticised Mignolet for not saving Phil Jagielka's thirty yard half volley in the last minute of the Merseyside derby. I'm not sure he's got a clue what he's talking about when it comes to goalkeepers.

Considering he has spent his playing career around some of the best goalkeepers to grace the game, working closely with most of them as a right back for 15+ years, i reckon he has a fair idea of what is required from a goalkeeper. Whether he should be wading in about it is another thing, but i think he knows what makes a good keeper, and a poor keeper.

This is more Neville just doing what he does best, trying to rattle the scousers....and its working.

The only problem is that a lot of his criticisms of goalkeepers over the years have been ridiculous, which makes me think he just doesn't know what he's talking about, or he's being ridiculously critical.

For me, goalkeeper is the worst position, you make one mistake and everybody is talking about it. Elsewhere across the pitch players will make 5-10 mistakes a game but rarely will it be a major problem or analysed for weeks on end.

[Scott is Back]

I don’t care what Gary Neville said. He was a top player, then he was a manager for a short bit and now he is back to being an expert again. He is always very critical. I think he does it to everyone. I just hope that when I do well he will comment on that. We will see in the future.’

That is entirety of what Karius said, having being asked what he thought of Gary Neville's comments. I don't see what is immature there or why it's even worth comment. I'd say Neville getting upset over that as a comment is a lot more immature. Klopp's comments were more of a jab and not particularly necessary but I'm glad he's sticking up for the players. 

I honestly have no idea of any criticism of Karius before the Bournemouth game, I think he didn't even have to make more than a save a game for his first 4-5 games. He kept a couple of clean sheets and was let down by the defence a couple of times but Bournemouth was the first time he made a mistake and then people have overreacted about the Payet free kick.

Let's not forget that Gary Neville is the same pundit who criticised Mignolet for not saving Phil Jagielka's thirty yard half volley in the last minute of the Merseyside derby. I'm not sure he's got a clue what he's talking about when it comes to goalkeepers.

Considering he has spent his playing career around some of the best goalkeepers to grace the game, working closely with most of them as a right back for 15+ years, i reckon he has a fair idea of what is required from a goalkeeper. Whether he should be wading in about it is another thing, but i think he knows what makes a good keeper, and a poor keeper.

This is more Neville just doing what he does best, trying to rattle the scousers....and its working.

The only problem is that a lot of his criticisms of goalkeepers over the years have been ridiculous, which makes me think he just doesn't know what he's talking about, or he's being ridiculously critical.

For me, goalkeeper is the worst position, you make one mistake and everybody is talking about it. Elsewhere across the pitch players will make 5-10 mistakes a game but rarely will it be a major problem or analysed for weeks on end.

Amen to this - my 8 year old lad is a goalkeeper, as was i, and the pressure you feel is a lot more than your average midfielder, mistakes get punished, and you get the brunt of it!

Although i take great joy in Karius having a mare, from personal experience i dont like to see any keeper make mistakes.

[Guest]

Arguably, Karius has cost us five points in these last two games. With 23 games to go it's not a great issue but it will be if he doesn't improve. We also need to find a way to break down the plethora of 7/8/9 man backlines we're increasingly up against (personally I'd see it as a compliment that teams are afraid of our attacking prowess - if only we could instill that same fear via our defence!!). A bit more guile, composure and creativity in front of goal wouldn't go amiss but I wouldn't want us falling too far behind. In the 08/09 season we were 11 points clear at New Year and still managed to come 2nd so there's no need to panic.

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