Aston Villa fans slammed Lovre Kalinic on Twitter yesterday and Dean Smith refused to defend his signing.
Speaking to Aston Villa’s official website, Dean Smith has admitted that new goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic didn’t cover himself in glory yesterday.
Aston Villa came from two goals behind to draw 2-2 with Hull City at Villa Park.
Kalinic, a £7 million signing this month [The Telegraph], was largely to blame for the opener on 27 minutes as Jarrod Bowen’s volley squirmed underneath and beat the Croat at his near post.
The 28-year-old was subsequently subject of criticism by a lot of Villa fans on Twitter at full time.
And Smith has admitted that his new keeper could and probably should have prevented the first goal.
Smith told Aston Villa’s official website: “We’re disappointed with the nature of the goals. Lovre Kalinic should probably stop the first, and we’ve given the ball away cheaply again for the second.
“We got punished for those mistakes.”
It was only Kalinic’s third game in English football and although he has shipped eight goals already, that isn’t really a fair reflecion on his ability as a goalkeeper.
For instance, he was probably Aston Villa’s best player in the 3-0 drubbing by Wigan last week, which ought to indicate that the defence is a far bigger worry than Kalinic at the moment.
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