I remember when we signed Shay Given when he was 35. He'd had shoulder injuries in his time at Man. City and everyone could quickly see he was struggling to dive either side. That and he was never great on crosses and dominating his box even at his peak so yeah I do take that point.He's 37 in a few months. Short keepers who compensate with their lack of reach and physical dominance with exceptional reflexes and agility just tend to drop off a cliff once their reflexes start to decline, as they can't re adjust their games in the way the likes of VdS could. By the time they bought him it was already crystal clear he was on that path, so I've no idea why they've kept him on after he's proved over and over again he's not up to it.
He was genuinely considered a very good goalkeeper here. Watch the Classico where we beat Madrid 0-4 at the Bernabeu, he was spectacular that game.Was he rated that much at Barca? Obviously they could build from the back with him but what was his general shot stopping and penalty box dominance from set pieces like?
Been badly exposed over here anyway.
Neville's always been a poor judge of goalkeepers, which is no surprise really as it's a completely different position. The first is a sensational strike and no keeper is saving that. Bravo's positioning wasn't perfect but it's irrelevant really. For the third, an athletic rangy keeper tips away the cross, but he's miles from one of them any more. Still, the blame for that goal lies primarily with Walker who fell asleep as per usual with the runner over his shoulder.Neville said in commentary he should have done better for the first, which I thought was a bit harsh. Definitely should have done better for the 3rd though
In fairness he did qualify it with: "I'm always very harsh on keepers..."Neville's always been a poor judge of goalkeepers, which is no surprise really as it's a completely different position. The first is a sensational strike and no keeper is saving that. Bravo's positioning wasn't perfect but it's irrelevant really. For the third, an athletic rangy keeper tips away the cross, but he's miles from one of them any more. Still, the blame for that goal lies primarily with Walker who fell asleep as per usual with the runner over his shoulder.
Very good point.He's 37 in a few months. Short keepers who compensate with their lack of reach and physical dominance with exceptional reflexes and agility just tend to drop off a cliff once their reflexes start to decline, as they can't re adjust their games in the way the likes of VdS could. By the time they bought him it was already crystal clear he was on that path, so I've no idea why they've kept him on after he's proved over and over again he's not up to it.
IMHO from what I saw here at Portuguese league, his problem is clearly mental. His performances in important matches were always top notch and Porto can thank him for last year title due to his amazing performances on top team games, but then he slacks against smaller opposition.Very good point.
Casillas is the ultimate example of this. Was the worlds best 'keeper until his reflexes started to slow and his confidence collapsed with it.
