Going into this season, there were going to be question marks surrounding Jussi Jaaskelainen and his ability to "come up with the goods" each game having reached the ripe age of 38. And playing a more reactive goalkeeping style that sees him sit deeper in his area, closer to the line, and use his reaction speeds and athleticism to deal with shots, a sure sign of beginning to lose his capabilities. And without developing or adapting his approach to make up for these difference makers, such as attacking shots through an active depth stepping out to compensate etc. things were going to come to a head in terms of goalkeeper selection. And with Adrian now taking over, it looks like Jussi's days in the limelight will soon be over, relegated to cup games, although he could still play on somewhere, just potentially not in the Premier League, especially with so many teams locked up in their goalkeeping departments.
Jussi is a curious case in terms of playing career, a lot like Shay Given, a goalkeeper who in his prime was one of the best goalkeepers in the EPL with his play in possibly the top three goalies at the time, a real elite goalkeeper, but was let down by club loyalty and not moving at the right time in his career, which would otherwise have seen him potentially earn silverware and more credibility. As you can see here:
And both played internationally and stole points for their teams in their eras of ability. Jussi has said he wants to carry on playing into his 40's but in what capacity this will be, is a bit of guesswork.
And both played internationally and stole points for their teams in their eras of ability. Jussi has said he wants to carry on playing into his 40's but in what capacity this will be, is a bit of guesswork.
But he has bucket loads of experience whereas Adrian just plain and simple doesn't: a huge indicator in goalkeeping often: in relation to confidence, dealing with losses and pressure, and being consistent for every game in a season. And this showed tremendously just weeks ago. The more aware a goalkeeper is of expected shots thanks to learning from previous mistakes and years playing in a league with pace and ability, Jussi was able to keep the score line down more so than his competitor Adrian against Chelsea in the cup. Halving the deficit allowed in the first game from six to three in his own game is a reflection of this. And you could argue that Big Sam is better sticking with this level of ability for now.
But his new choice is starting to get comfortable with being the "go to guy" for his new team. And Adrian has been sharp off his line, confidently coming out to intercept and collect on through balls at the top of the box, which is needed to shut down scoring chances and attributed to his clean sheet today. His shot stopping is also getting properly worked, making some key stops of late, and for now is proving himself to a be a steal.
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