Mignolet & Toure bring added strength in more ways than one

A fair bit of focus seems to be on Pepe Reina at the moment, and how he’ll deal with the added competition from Steve Mignolet after he was signed.

But judging by a few of his howlers last season, especially against Manchester City which denied Liverpool a morale boosting win over the Champions at the Etihad stadium, it should be a good driving force for both him and the no. 2. The rigidity in goalkeeper selection has always been a bit too stiff anyway.

Outfield players seem to not only get judged by their performances on the field, but the training ground as well. But if you’re the man behind the sticks, unless you make a Paul Robinson or Robert Green like howler (no reminders needed I’m guessing) opportunities are extremely slim to come by for you if you’re the second choice, no matter how well you do in training.

That seems a bit like double standards. It can’t be great for a good goalkeeper to spend week in week out, on the bench, waiting for an injury or a suspension to the first choice keeper. There have been many occasions when second choices have come on and proved themselves more than up to the task, but the moment the number 1 returns, they get relegated back.

Not exactly consistent with outfield selection policy.

Unless it’s the captain we’re talking about, players always lose their place if someone gets called up as a replacement and puts in a better than expected shift.

Introduce that for goalkeepers as well, and it will take care of the perceived complacency, where you could make a couple of howlers one week, but you’re not really thinking that it’s cost you a place in the starting XI.

Rotating Reina and Mignolet next season might be a good idea for another reason, as it will bring a consistency in the performance bar from both of them, which could avoid uncertainty if one of them does get suspended or injured.
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A year and a half ago, when Reina was unavailable for the FA Cup semi-final against Everton, there were some doubts over Brad Jones, and a subsequent sigh of relief when he did do well to help the Reds through to the final.

That kind of uncertainty, if avoided can be a remarkable, albeit small trait of the team.

Now, to another signing who hasn’t been talked about much – perhaps it’s because he was a free signing and maybe because he’s past his 30s, but Kolo Toure could prove to be a bargain for Liverpool.

The man has an extremely impressive physical presence, which has on occasions hurt Liverpool’s defence in the past as well.

This could be used by Rodgers in a number of ways. He could provide more than capable cover in defence for Daniel Agger or Martin Skrtel, as well as be considered another option to play as a holding midfielder.

He’s got the physical abilities along with the ball control to provide that sturdy option.

It’s one thing that screamed out to Liverpool’s disadvantage when they played Tottenham last season at Anfield. Despite eventually winning that game, they were outmuscled by the North London club.

That one area could be a vital improvement for the Reds.
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