Just seen MOTD. Glad for the point but we should really be saying "gazzaniga has cost us point(s) again". That was a clanger Remy should have scored. Im worried about playing till Jan with him in goal.
Mistakes he will learn from, errors of judgement is a different kettle of fish as they are too easily repeated without always knowing. Lack of confidence is a killer...........
A lot of his issues are from a lack of experience. I can only guess he was not sent out on loan as the club thought that he still required a good year of solid technical coaching and I think his handling has improved on last year. He has all the raw materials to be a very good keeper and his kicking (except that slice) is excellent. He will need two or three seasons out on loan playing regularly at a decent standard to be able to improve on positioning and gain the confidence to command and organise a defence. Whether he has the mental fortitude to come back and be a premier league keeper is up to him.
We have to be grateful that Remy was rehearsing for a new Specsaver advert, but what caused the ball to behave so strangely off of Gazzas boot? The back pass was hit with pace and it looked simple to hoof it, was there some spin on it as Gazza went to kick it, I can't understand why it just shot tamely up in the air. Presumably Gazza was doing the schoolboy error of looking where it was going rather than watching the ball itself? I suppose the same could be said of Hoover, a right foot hoof would have sufficed, but he went with the left and it just skimmed off his foot. Both sides made other similar errors but got away with those, so we don't dwell on them.
And that's the reason I've been less upset with Boruc's mistakes than many. He is irrationally confident; that occasionally manifests in laughably silly decisions, but the net result is still positive because he's committed, never panics, and will continue to take charge even after a howler. Gazzaniga seems to be playing scared, a perfectly rational response to being thrown in as a Premier League goalkeeper at such a young age, but not a beneficial one.
I'm afraid that I don't think he's shown us anything yet to indicate that he will be a good goalkeeper apart from one world-class save against Newcastle last season. Every single time there was a back pass yesterday I had to do a Fran and look away in fear of what was about to happen. Surely the players must feel jittery with him there. He looks like he should be good and he was obviously highly thought of at his previous club but with us he hasn't even got the basics right. As for Jos, he played pretty well apart from the goal. But really, that was shocking. I never ceased to be amazed at how one-footed many professional footballers are. Even an average pub league player would have hit that with his right foot.
I hope Gazza plays a couple of blinders to get his confidence established. Problem for me is that I can`t remember him ever saving very much.
I wouldn't want to condemn Gazza for the one miskick error, that could happen to anyone. He did, however, commit a far worse error in the first half, when he came out to dive on the ball, and totally missed it leaving him stranded. If Calum Chambers hadn't kept his cool and cleared off the line from the subsequent shot we would have been 2-0 down at half time.
You have to feel for Kelvin, his chance has come and he couldn't take it, it's no good us Gazza bashing, it won't make any difference, he is technically the best we have available at the moment, the defence are well aware of his shortcomings and are putting the extra effort in it to compensate, this of course is affecting the play elsewhere, but for now we will have to be patient, it won't be for ever.
I'm not sure Kelvin sees himself playing that much now...more learning about coaching and helping out in training. He would have enjoyed a last chance to strut his stuff though. It must be a bad injury as he has been unavailable for a while. I wonder what Mauricio thinks of Gazza...he has to use him and support him, but I'm sure he has already had reports from Jiminez (when he's not brawling) about whether Gazzaniga has the makings of a top class keeper. And remember we need a top class keeper...not an okay one. The money has been needed (and spent) in other areas, but it is obvious now that another keeper is essential....unless Cropper is ready to step up (unlikely at the moment).
Bad positioning. Watched the highlights a few times on the iPlayer and I couldn't believe where he was standing as the attack from the right side came in. Gaping hole at his near post. The upshot is that he was a yard short of gathering the ball safely and that yard was in his goalmouth position. Have a look. Still, we are once again talking about errors in a player who is trying to establish himself and will never do it if his manager has the same attitude as us. Given the experience, he's going to be a very good keeper. Let's support him.
No, there was little, if any spin on the ball until Gazza miskicked it. His swipe underneath the ball imparted loads of backspin to it, lofting it into the air, and which meant that when it landed it headed back towards the goal. The miskick was simply due to fright of what might happen if he didn't get right, and that pressure caused the error. That's something that will disappear with time and experience. Joe Hart has made just as many errors in his own way, and he went for almost an entire season before Pellegrini pulled the plug. And he is an established keeper. I'm not comparing their relative skills, just the situation. As for Jos, I'm a little harder on him because he is an established player. If he doesn't know how to eliminate mistakes by now he never will.
I think the most important thing for a keeper (after basic talent) is confidence. Boruc looks as if he is going to get the ball which must put attackers off. Gazza looks lightweight and doesn't frighten anyone (except Mauricio and the team). He looks afraid and, sometimes, I feel he is afraid to get hurt. Talented, but I don't think he will ever be a top keeper...I've come out and said it and, as you know, I'm not a person to have a downer on anyone.
Badly need a keeper in Jan, neither Kelvin or Gazzaniga are good enough. Also need a cb, Jos and Yoshida aren't good enough either.
I have to disagree with the positioning comment. My son's doing goalkeeper training and time and time again he is told to position himself further away from the attacker's side. If someone's going to cross it in, the worst possible position to be is too far forward (i.e. towards the crosser). From his goalkeeping handbook, "if the ball is wide the keeper should start from a position slightly behind the centre of the goal. The reason for this is that it is easier to take the ball moving forwards than backwards":from The soccer goalkeeping handbook, Alex Welsh. The ball was being crossed in from the edge of the penalty area so he was pretty much in the desired position. The problem was the misjudgment about whether he'd get to the ball quicker. Not the positioning. That said, I agree that he's not good enough for this league. As is my way, I desperately wanted him to be a success but he just isn't ready. Vin
