Simon Mignolet's Nightmare Liverpool Career Should Be Ended by Signing Mat Ryan
Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has been found somewhat lacking this season, and manager Brendan Rodgers could well be looking to end his Merseyside nightmare by signing Club Brugge stopper Mathew Ryan.
Andy Hunter of the Guardian writes that, "[Ryan] has emerged as a possible transfer target for the Anfield club with Rodgers expected to be in the market for two goalkeepers this summer."
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This comes as Rodgers, "has expressed concern over Mignolet’s struggle to adapt to the team’s style since his £9m move from Sunderland in 2013 and second-choice Brad Jones is out of contract at the end of the season."
Such forward planning suggests that both goalkeepers could leave the club in the summer.
Mignolet, as Liverpool's current No. 1, will feel the pressure of speculation the most.
Rightly, however, Ryan should be considered as a challenger to consign Mignolet's Liverpool contribution to a mountain of failures stacking up under Rodgers at Liverpool.
Simon Mignolet
Mignolet began life at Liverpool as a hero.
By saving Jonathan Walters' 88th-minute penalty kick in the opening game of the 2013/14 season, Mignolet meant the difference between a vital three points and a drab stalemate.
After the game, the goalkeeper told reporters of the importance of preparation, claiming, "I do those things 100 times in training, so I am glad it worked out today. I was nervous playing in front of the Kop, but I kept my nerve when it mattered," as reported by Simon Mullock of the Mirror.
Mignolet continued: "I’m a popular man? Let’s keep it that way."
Unfortunately, Mignolet's popularity among Liverpool supporters has plummeted ever since.
A series of high-profile errors in the No. 22 shirt have led to widespread criticism of the Belgian, with former Reds goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar leading the charge.
Grobbelaar spoke to BBC Sport, criticising how Mignolet "doesn't command his area," continuing with, "He seems to stay on his line and that's it. That whole area, not just the six-yard area, is the goalkeeper's."
Rodgers dismissed Grobbelaar's criticism, as reported by James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo, claiming, "I know the qualities we need to succeed."
Perhaps, however, Mignolet does not possess these qualities, as an experiment involving Jones in December underlines.
The Brad Jones Experiment
By dropping Mignolet in favour of Jones for Liverpool's 3-0 Premier League loss away to Manchester United, Rodgers highlighted Mignolet's struggles.
After the game, the manager told reporters, "I felt I had to change it because we have to find solutions throughout the squad to be better...I said to Simon that it's for an indefinite period," as reported by BBC Sport.
Rodgers continued: "It can sometimes happen to a keeper where you come out of the firing line and it can help you and allow you time to reflect."
This seemed a mistake, however, with this only exaggerating Mignolet's issues.
Jones kept his place in goal for the next game, a 3-1 win away to AFC Bournemouth in the Capital One Cup, as well as a draw at home to Arsenal in the Premier League.
However, conceding five goals in those two Premier League games, Jones proved why he was Liverpool's backup option, and nothing more; this season Mignolet has conceded 1.16 league goals per game on average, compared to Jones' 2.5 per game.
Mignolet replaced an injured Jones 15 minutes into Boxing Day's 1-0 victory over Burnley, underlining the fallacy in Rodgers' "indefinite" dropping of the 26-year-old.
The overriding takeaway from this fiasco is that Liverpool need to sign a new goalkeeper, and the most notable, credible link as of yet is Brugge's Ryan.
Mathew Ryan
At just 22 years old, Ryan is a remarkably experienced goalkeeper in the Belgian Jupiler League, on the European stage and with the Australian national team.
Moving to Brugge after a formative period with A-League side Central Coast Mariners, Ryan has quickly established himself as No. 1 for both club and country.
Ryan's former goalkeeping coach with the Mariners, John Crawley, told FourFourTwo's John Davidson that the shot-stopper, "could walk into any European team."
Crawley continued to outline Ryan's playing style:
"[Ryan] reads the game well, he’s an attacking-type goalkeeper, he’s always on the front foot and his starting positions are very bold and he takes chances. I think the modern-day goalkeeper takes a few chances, they’re not stuck on the line and just shot-stoppers any more.
"
In particular, Crawley's assertion that he "commands his back four very well" would endear to the critical Grobbelaar.
Furthermore, in challenging Mignolet to assert himself more back in September, Rodgers alluded to his favouring of an aggressive style, as reported by Paul Joyce for the Express: "The key thing, and the message to all the players in that situation, is make sure you are [on] the front foot. Be aggressive, don't wait for it. [Mignolet's] a bit of a laid-back type of person in his personality. But I think he's aggressive."
As Hunter's report suggests, Mignolet could leave Liverpool in the summer, and to be replaced by Ryan, perhaps Rodgers feels he has found a more suitable, front-footed goalkeeping option.
By signing Mathew Ryan in the summer, Brendan Rodgers would bring in a goalkeeper more in keeping with his side's aggressive defensive style and end Simon Mignolet's personal nightmare as Liverpool's No. 1.
Statistics via WhoScored.com.
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