[lfc-news] Mark Lawrenson column - Post

Liverpool Daily Post, 14 Dec 2004
The bad habits Kirkland has to eradicate now
By Mark Lawrenson, Daily Post

EVEN though a football match goes on for more than an hour and a half, it
is decided by just a few instants.

At Goodison Park on Saturday, those crucial moments revolved around the two
goalkeepers and it was Chris Kirkland who was found wanting.

Whereas Nigel Martyn stood firm with an easy confidence born of his
extensive experience, Liverpool's stopper appeared paralysed at times by
the uncertainty that is currently all too apparent in his performances.

When Lee Carsley's goal flashed past him - virtually right next to him in
fact - I bet most Liverpool supporters will have had flashbacks to the last
two games against Olympiakos and Aston Villa.

There too the keeper was beaten by shots he would have been expected to
stop, so it is an ongoing problem and if left unchecked, could lead to more
trouble and more soft goals. However I believe it is a relatively simple
flaw to sort out, given a bit of work in the video room and on the training
pitch.

It is not as if Kirkland has been spilling shots or letting goals through
his hands - instead he seems to have slipped into bad habits in his
positioning and technique.

First and foremost, when he is on his line waiting for shots he seems to me
to be planting his feet, which means he does not have any spring in his
step. Whereas you would expect a goalkeeper to be on his toes and ready to
go left or right as needed, Kirkland looks flat-footed which means he is
unable to change direction at the moment.

Whether that is down to the injuries he has suffered in the past, I don't
know, but he has to regain that bounce if he is to keep clean sheets.

On top of that, if you are setting a wall at free-kicks, then there is no
point standing behind it where you can't see the ball. Given the
improvement in players' technical ability and ball technology, even with a
clear view of the ball a goalkeeper is only going to have a few heartbeats
to see where the ball is going and react accordingly.

If you only see the ball when it has gone past the wall, then your reaction
time is that much shorter, as shown by the ball being beyond Kirkland at
Villa before he dived.

It is up to Kirkland to stand where he can see the ball, and that means
leaving the wall to defend half of the goal while he is in the other half.
If someone gets the ball over the wall and into the top corner then so be
it, you've got to hold your hands up and say fair enough. That happens in
football, but to me there is no excuse for a top class keeper like Kirkland
to put himself in a blind spot, and so cut down his chances of saving the ball.

I would be looking now for Liverpool's goalkeeping coach Jose Ochotorena to
sit down with Kirkland and have a little word while they watch some videos
of him in action, to point out what he has been doing wrong.

Once he recovers from his latest niggle, then I'd also have him on the
training pitch working hard to iron out those flaws.

Let me make it clear - I'm not doubting his ability as a goalkeeper and I
believe he has the potential to be a great player for Liverpool. Like any
young player - and he is still a baby in goalkeeping terms - he just makes
mistakes now and again and it is up to the people around him to get him
through any difficult patches.

In that way I think it is a shame he will not play against Portsmouth.
Getting back on the bike straight away would have given him the chance to
put in a good performance and ease the doubts he must be feeling.

Sitting out games when your last performance was shaky at best means the
role Rafael Benitez and his coaches have to play is even more crucial in
ensuring Kirkland's belief in himself stays strong.



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