Safia Middleton-Patel | On loan at Watford

top1whoisman

Meet the press(conference)
Scout
Joined
May 18, 2016
Messages
27,194
Location
Helsinki
A promising 18-year old goalkeeper & Welsh international who signed her first professional contract with the club in January. Hope she gets minutes there as gaining first team experience is valuable. If she does well I'm quite confident that she'll spend next season on loan.

 
top1whoisman said:
A promising 18-year old goalkeeper & Welsh international who signed her first professional contract with the club in January. Hope she gets minutes there as gaining first team experience is valuable. If she does well I'm quite confident that she'll spend next season on loan.

Click to expand...

She's played a few games on "one week emergency" loans at Coventry but it would be good for her to play regularly - she's ready for it. She's already a full international for Wales on the strength of her junior team and U21 performances for us and Wales.
 
Clean sheet in her debut away at Sunderland. Glad she got a game before the end of the season.
 
A very good 45-minute performance today. Looked very assured, made a few decent saves and was comfortable in possession.
 
Good to hear it. She needs the experience and the game time won't come as third choice at United.

Not sure if it implies anything about a new addition to the keeper team arriving, but one thing at a time ...
 
Watford were bottom of the table with one win and had conceded the most goals in the league (30) when Saf joined them. With her in goal: 3 matches, 2 wins & 2 clean sheets.

 
Last edited:
top1whoisman said:
Watford were bottom of the table with one win and had conceded the most goals in the league (30) when Saf joined them. With her in goal: 2 matches, 2 wins & 2 clean sheets.
Click to expand...
Excellent. I am pleased for her, and thanks for the info.
 
It would be nice if our social media staff would make an effort to get to know our own players. There’s a reason for her wearing sunglasses, and it’s not style.

 
Last edited:
She shared her autism diagnosis last year and talked about how the club and the players had helped her during the diagnostic process.

Perhaps she feels as if she's reached another milestone in her journey.
 
Huge game for Saf! I am as excited for tonight as I was when we finally saw Phallon this time last year!
 
So delighted for her, congrats Saf!

Honest assessment from yesterday.

Very comfortable on the ball. One might say too sometimes even a bit too comfortable, but this is how the modern game is and she looked very composed and calm under pressure. Decent short passing too. Didn't see much of her long range passing so it's impossible to judge her on that.

In order to become a first team gk at a decent level, I think it's obvious that she needs to develop physically. Compared to say Emily Ramsey who was very explosive, strong and quick to react, Saf looked a bit underwhelming regarding these attributes. Something similar to Baggaley in this regard. Her size could also become an issue.

Anyway I'm so happy she finally got her chance. The experience will do her a world of good and I'm sure both Wilko and PTJ will do everything they can to help her realize her full potential.

ps. I hope she doesn't read comments on social media. Pretty brutal for a 20-year old keeper who just made her debut.
 
Last edited:
That's really good news for us - and her - but I must say I am a little bit surprised. I know she is only young but she is the Wales #1 and yet she has not played a game for us. She could already be first choice keeper in several WSL/Championship sides, but I am happy that she is obviously happy with her development at United.
 
Surely worth bumping this thread.

She was outstanding last night v PSG. Okay, there was one stray pass out from the back, but 21 years old, starting at Old Trafford, only finding out yesterday morning that she was starting ... a superb display.
 
Demon Barber said:
Surely worth bumping this thread.

She was outstanding last night v PSG. Okay, there was one stray pass out from the back, but 21 years old, starting at Old Trafford, only finding out yesterday morning that she was starting ... a superb display.
Click to expand...
She was the best goalkeeper on the night, in itself worth noting.
 
Didnt know she has autism like myself. Even more proud of her to come in and put in a good performance in a huge game for the club. Hope she goes from strength to strength
 
I hate to say this because it seems so unfair, but I fear that Safia will never be a top-flight keeper for the simple reason that she just isn't tall enough. You don't have to be as tall as PTJ to be elite in the women's game, but it sure helps. Think of all the fingertip saves we've seen PTJ make that someone five or six inches shorter wouldn't even get close to.
 
Lobster11 said:
I hate to say this because it seems so unfair, but I fear that Safia will never be a top-flight keeper for the simple reason that she just isn't tall enough. You don't have to be as tall as PTJ to be elite in the women's game, but it sure helps. Think of all the fingertip saves we've seen PTJ make that someone five or six inches shorter wouldn't even get close to.
Click to expand...

It doesnt help, but Yamashita was one of the better goalkeepers and helped City win the league last season, Fotmob had her as 2nd best performing goalkeeper after Nnadozie from Brighton with Hampton 4th and Tullis-Joyce 6th of course this is just in the league. It also depends on their leap. She's bigger than Khiara Keating who was City's first choice before Yamashita by 1 inch and she has also played for England. Arsenal's new goalkeeper they signed from Real Madrid is also 1 inch taller than Patel or Yamashita so depending on how well they leap they could end up essentially the same

All in all its a challenge but it doesnt mean she cant be a starting keeper for a top team. It'll be more about her performances which obviously arent there at 21, but maybe in a few years and a good loan to Hull could be the start of that
 
Ekeke said:
It doesnt help, but Yamashita was one of the better goalkeepers and helped City win the league last season, Fotmob had her as 2nd best performing goalkeeper after Nnadozie from Brighton with Hampton 4th and Tullis-Joyce 6th of course this is just in the league. It also depends on their leap. She's bigger than Khiara Keating who was City's first choice before Yamashita by 1 inch and she has also played for England. Arsenal's new goalkeeper they signed from Real Madrid is also 1 inch taller than Patel or Yamashita so depending on how well they leap they could end up essentially the same

All in all its a challenge but it doesnt mean she cant be a starting keeper for a top team. It'll be more about her performances which obviously arent there at 21, but maybe in a few years and a good loan to Hull could be the start of that
Click to expand...
On the few occasions I've seen her play, she has given up numerous goals that I felt sure, at the time, she would have gotten to with just a little more wingspan -- i.e., shots that were just an inch or two out of her reach.

That said, your points are all well-taken, and given her young age we'll just have to wait and see. Hopefully with experience she will learn to compensate with better positioning, or better communication with the backs, etc.
 
Lobster11 said:
On the few occasions I've seen her play, she has given up numerous goals that I felt sure, at the time, she would have gotten to with just a little more wingspan -- i.e., shots that were just an inch or two out of her reach.

That said, your points are all well-taken, and given her young age we'll just have to wait and see. Hopefully with experience she will learn to compensate with better positioning, or better communication with the backs, etc.
Click to expand...

I'm sure its true, but shes also made some good stops. She was up in the list for save of the season this year as well



Leitzig our new keeper also had the first one

If we're honest the Yamashita one while at the top of the goal tipping it over, and yeah we have seen those go in during womens football it would be different if it was in the top corner. But then I just think in general womens goalkeepers dont really save those at the moment. They save the ones an inch or two inside the posts. Also Tullis-Joyce isnt on the list so...
 
Ekeke said:
I'm sure its true, but shes also made some good stops. She was up in the list for save of the season this year as well



Leitzig our new keeper also had the first one

If we're honest the Yamashita one while at the top of the goal tipping it over, and yeah we have seen those go in during womens football it would be different if it was in the top corner. But then I just think in general womens goalkeepers dont really save those at the moment. They save the ones an inch or two inside the posts. Also Tullis-Joyce isnt on the list so...
Click to expand...

Oh, sure, I remember Patel making numerous terrific saves too. She seems to have great reflexes and can make so-called "reaction saves" as well as anyone. She also seems very confident with the ball at her feet. But I still feel like her lack of size is inevitably going to limit how high her ceiling is. The save by Leitzig in that video is a perfect example of one that a six-footer can make that a shorter keeper can't.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.