It’s a mix that gives the overall praise isn’t it:
- 2 or 3 top top saves
- 2 or 3 tough ones, dealt with well
- 2 or 3 more on target and handled as expected
Fair play to the lad, but he goes home with nothing
1 top save
1 good save
3ok saves made look better by showboating
4 absolutly routine saves.
Its is simply a reaction to absolutely over the top comments that somehow he is kyrptonite to lfc just cos his team were dominated and he had work to do.
As a keeper he is one of the best, nobody has actually insulted his ability.
He had a busy night.
Most stuff was hit down his throat.
For example vvd header wasnt back in the direction it came. It wasnt down, it wasnt to the side. It was right above his head.
Many a keeper gets called a worldie for that type of save but you see it and throw hands. A lot of the time you get something on it.
As a keeper from a corner the hardest thing to deal with is turning from facing the corner and squaring up to the play. Thsts why keepers have moved from standing closer to the front post to some standing more far post.
If you turn and are moving and the ball flies back across you then you've got to shift body weight and dive at it.
Then look at szoboszlai free kick. Yeah its coming hard, we know he can hit it but the ball its in the corner or anywhere near it.
Its comfortably in a spot he should get to. And he does.
The driven szoboszlai shot is across him but again its a hard shot but its a really nice height to reach and he gives its a good strong wrist. Thsts fine but its not a miracle save or anything like one. Its just a solid stop.
Theres one where we get in on the right amd he starts near post.making himself big in case salah has a goes then as the ball goes into the middle gakpo gets it about a yard away as hes shuffled across. Gakpo effort is again right at him because hes move.into a natural keeping position. It hits him rather than him.moving.
Competent keeping. Not wordie keeping.
BTW the marmadashvilli save from bellingham is one where he also just gets hit rather than some form of worldie save. You just cover the post and make yourself big and when it hits you you are a hero and when it beats you then you had no chance.
The difference between that and alisson in so.many 1 on 1s is that alisson picks his moment..alisson gets beaten too but keepers can only get the right position and make themselves big.
Courtois. Solid 7/10. 1 save that was top drawer out of 8.