Simon Mignolet seems determined to try to win back his starting spot at Liverpool.
Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet is on the outside looking in at Anfield, as his position within the squad grows more and more unstable.
The 30-year-old has not featured for the Reds in nearly two months after losing his spot to Loris Karius but, according to Sky Sports, he is not allowing that setback to detract him from the task at hand, and that is becoming Liverpool’s number one once again.
While it is always great to see players competing over a spot in the first-team, especially when they could easily sit on the bench and collect a hefty wage week in, week out, it feels like Mignolet’s time at the top of the pecking order has been and gone.
He has been on the books at Liverpool for almost five years now and, in that amount of time, the expectation would be that he ironed out the mistakes which plague his ability to be a world-class ‘keeper. Alas, he has not managed to do that and, at the age of 30, there can be no blame placed on the fact that he is young and still trying to grow as a player.
The pressure associated with playing for a club like the Reds is clear for everyone to see, and it has affected numerous players over the years, but not to this extent. With 200 appearances to his name at Anfield he should be remembered by fans for his great work and memorable saves when, in reality, his errors are what come to mind.
Under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool finally seems to be moving in a positive direction for the first time in a long time, and they are starting to slowly weed out the players associated with their bad form in recent times. Karius is not perfect but, at 24, he can still flourish under the right leadership. Right now, Mignolet’s mentality and reputation are too damaged for this to work.
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