Simon Mignolet may yet be Liverpool saviour

Simon Mignolet’s career at Anfield has featured more ups and downs than Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport and yet he arrives in Swansea today re-established as Jurgen Klopp’s number one and with a growing perception the club’s goalkeeping difficulty may have been overstated.

The Belgian’s performance at Old Trafford last weekend, when his impressive display kept Manchester United at bay until the final moments of a 1-1 draw, has suddenly got people suggesting the ‘crisis’ has been solved from within.

Mignolet, who is 28 years old (which in goalkeeping terms means he is some years from reaching his peak), has been someone who divides opinion ever since he arrived at Anfield for €12m from Sunderland in 2013.

Loved by some on the Kop but regularly castigated by the internet brigade, he has been unable to shake off the perception that he isn’t quite good enough for the very top.

Liverpool, we’ve regularly been told, will never win the title until they buy a world class keeper — someone to match the legacy of a Ray Clemence or Bruce Grobbelaar.

The low points have been painful and very public.

In December 2014, the Belgian was dropped by then-manager Brendan Rodgers “for an indefinite period” in favour of Brad Jones, only to awkwardly return when his rival got injured.

In September 2016, he was replaced in the team by new signing Loris Karius — with Klopp confirming he was no longer first choice and would be selected only for cup ties instead.

Now, however, following a flurry of mistakes by his young rival, Mignolet is back in pole position and looking increasingly comfortable there.

In fact, the keeper, who signed a new five-year contract a year ago, shows no signs of going away, judging by his New Year’s resolution.

“As far as I’m concerned my goals for 2017 don’t change,” he said. “It’s to fight to be first choice in the Liverpool team and then to win the title.

“My dream is to win the Premier League here, no doubt about it, and we’ll work hard to make it happen. The fans deserve that and we all want it. The best day of my career was when I first signed a contract as a new Liverpool player. That for a Belgian goalkeeper is not easy and was very special. So to win the title would mean a lot to me.”

Mignolet, who can speak English, French, Dutch and German and has a degree in political science, is known to be the kind of player who thinks about his game and works hard to address his weaknesses; and perhaps that commitment it is starting to reap dividends.

There have been no high-profile errors so far this campaign and he retains a hunger to take his career to the next level, saying: “Every player always wants to progress and improve and I’m the same. I would like to improve as a player in 2017 and especially to keep more clean sheets.

“Looking back at 2016, it certainly got better as it went on but overall I would say it was not good for me because I wanted to achieve more.

“We lost in the final of the League Cup and did not reach the Champions League. We have taken more momentum into this season and that’s a good sign for the new year but we are only halfway through and we have to keep going and be very demanding with ourselves to achieve what we want to do. We know it is going to be a very tough battle right to the end.”

The signs, at least, are good. There seems to be a calmness and assuredness about Mignolet these days that was often missing in his early years at Anfield — and ever since Karius made a howler in Liverpool’s 4-3 defeat at Bournemouth, a match in which they were 3-1 up with 20 minutes to go, he appears to have won over his manager and answered his own external critics in the process.

In 14 appearances so far this year the Belgian has kept five clean sheets, including vital ones against Manchester City and Everton, followed by a performance at Old Trafford which seemed to open the eyes of those who had criticised him before.

“I feel like I am in a good moment,” he admitted.

“I just try to do my job and stay calm and I will try to do the same things the next time I play. I was happy with my own performance at Old Trafford. But that is not really important —it’s about the club getting as many points on the board as possible.”

The question for Liverpool, of course, is whether Mignolet’s form is enough to settle down a defence which can be solid one match but then suddenly lose concentration in the next (they have conceded 24 league goals which is more than all of their title rivals with the exception of Manchester City).

It’s a situation Klopp must address, but there is little doubt the current Anfield squad remain serious title contenders.

“There are a lot of games to be played,” Mignolet said.

“The Premier League is a long season and there are a lot of tests still to come. We just need to stay calm and focus on the next game because right now there are six clubs up there and everybody has the same objective.

“The main thing for me is to stay in the team — and it’s a great challenge. I’m happy with my performances and I want to stay there, so it’s up to me to work hard and make sure I do. When you are a goalkeeper only one can play, so you have to make sure you perform at the highest level.”

It may be best to whisper it given the topsy-turvy natural of his career but Mignolet is living up to that mantra right now — and even before the January transfer window heats up it appears Liverpool have already solved their goalkeeping conundrum.