Don Goodman blasts ‘Horrific’ Illan Meslier after what he did in Leeds United v Southampton
Don Goodman branded Illan Meslier “very lucky” after he flapped at a cross during the Championship clash between Leeds and Southampton.
The Whites found themselves 1-0 down within two minutes and it was nearly 2-0 ten minutes later when Meslier failed to claim a corner and dropped the ball in a dangerous position.
While speaking on Sky Sports (30 September, 12:41) as co-commentator for the game, Goodman was quick to call out the French goalkeeper for his part in the mess.
“Not the most convincing,” he said. “I’m pleased to see that he’s recovered from last season when he had a horrific period at the end.
“He has to do better there, Illan Meslier. He’s very lucky that the ball drops down and it’s awkward for Smallbone. Could easily have dropped for a tap in for an opponent.”
Stamp it out
There is no doubting that Meslier is an incredibly talented young goalkeeper who could have a huge future in football, but he needs to cut these little errors out.
In the Premier League a lot of the goals we conceded weren’t his fault at all, but he did make small errors like this that gave the opponents confidence from nothing.
If he wants to really fulfill hit potential then he really needs to cut those moments out of his game, and once he does he will surely go up a level or two.
Four consecutive clean sheets followed by a thumping against a team who have been in poor form won’t do any good for his confidence, and we certainly don’t need to see the old Meslier return.
Hopefully it won’t be a big deal, but these small moments in a game usually tell you whether the real Meslier has turned up today, so we should have seen the warning signs in advance.
In other Leeds news, player ratings after defeat v Southampton.