Thursday, 17 April 2014

Elliot struggling in Krul's absence

For a second choice 'keeper stuck behind an obvious pure talent like , then it is a case of biding their time and hoping for a chance to play to work their way into the squad. Whilst it sounds cruel, injury is pretty much the only thing going to keep out a clear cut starter from playing ahead of you! And with Krul injured (Dutch coaching staff must be putting their heads in the sand right now as a result of !), Elliot is finally getting his chance. But in doing so is proving he isn't up to the Premier League or the same elite status that Newcastle have gotten used to with Krul in goal for them, right now.

With Krul in and out of action due to various injuries (I think there must be a curse on Dutch goalkeepers right now, as all of their top, experienced goalkeepers from Krul to Vorm to Sketelenburg have all been seriously troubled by injury this season), Newcastle need a solid go-to-guy on the bench. A lot like Cudicini at Tottenham, a guy who can happily come off the bench and get the job done. This requires a special kind of mentality as you have to be ready to play 'all out' when the chance does represent itself. I think Rob would make a good Championship goalkeeper (like Kusczak has at Brighton) but a lot of the goals were scored due to errors on his part that were rookie mistakes or at fault tehnically. These kinds of goals are concessions that Newcastle can't afford if they want to push up the table and challenge for European spots as in previous seasons, as in the case of Krul's breakout season.

Goals like the first one where he over commits to the wrong side and foot speed means he can't reach out with a dive to stop the curler into his left post. Or on the last where he is caught out again for a required dive to his right. He could also benefit from working with his back four more appropriately and communicate with them to stop so many defensive breakdowns; reliant on his 'read' skills of the set-up in front of him.


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