Martin Dubravka came in for criticism during Newcastle United’s last game.
Newcastle United boss Rafael Benitez has revealed to The Shields Gazette that he told goalkeeper Martin Dubravka he could’ve done better for the last-minute goal at Wolves earlier this month.
The Magpies were seconds away from a big 1-0 win at Molineux, but Willy Boly headed home a last-gasp equaliser for the hosts.
Dubravka, who joined Newcastle last January, tried to catch the ball instead of punching it to safety, and Boly out-jumped him to nod home.
Despite admitting that the Slovakian goalkeeper was mostly to blame, the Spanish manager concedes that there’s other factors worth considering.
Benitez told The Shields Gazette, when asked about the goal: “Yes, I told him he could have punched the ball, but we could also have protected him a little bit better. And it was a foul.”
That was Newcastle’s most recent game, and Benitez believes that the error won’t have a knock-on effect for Dubravka’s confidence.
“If you have to pick one player who can live with the pressure and be professional, it would be Martin Dubravka. But he’s a keeper, so he can be fine for 94 minutes and 10 seconds and then everything changes!
“But it’s the way that you see him training, see him when he’s talking to team-mates. You talk to him personally, and you see that he’s very, very mature and professional. And he’s very focused.”
Benitez’s side, who sit two places and one point above the Premier League relegation zone, host Huddersfield Town today.
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