Steffen

Fulham keeper has just played a ball out to one of his own players on the edge of the area under pressure very similar to Steffens yesterday. They were lucky to get away with it.

Added to that Man City have scored and conceded a goal from the same scenario in their last 2 games.

It’s not just us and it’s certainly not just Steffen.
 
Don't forget he blasted a ball at a Millwall striker in the last match which could have resulted in a goal.

There's more to bring a sweeper keeper than just passing the ball well you have to anticipate danger and make the right decisions. Yes he can make a long pass well to feet but he's judgement is really suspect.
 
Like I said I think you have to just accept steffen for who he is and that he comes with the good and the bad.
 
I did single Steffen out a little yesterday. I don’t think he’s solely the reason we lost but I thought he was shaky.

I don’t mind him but I’d say Steffen is a 6-7 out of 10 most games. He’s a pretty decent shot stopper, generally. His passing and distribution is usually decent. I know he is a little laid back and people chit themselves when we try play out from the back. That’s not his fault though as it’s how Carrick wants us to play.

I do think he’s got weaknesses to his game though.

1) His decision making at times is poor, certainly on crosses.
2) He doesn’t command his box very well.
3) He puts players under a lot of pressure with some questionable passes at times.

Yesterday, a better finish from Diallo and we are 1-0 down after 10 minutes. He got lucky after a hospital ball.

He doesn’t come off his line early enough when Stewart gets in behind for the penalty.

Even for the penalty. He gets there and should at least parry the ball away from goal. Perhaps a little harsh, but we’ve seen him make similar “saves” in open play.

Overall, he’s good when we have lots of possession and suits our style. Not convinced he’d be worth signing permanently though. When the pressure is on and we’re under the cosh, he makes more mistakes than I would like. Burnley was another example of that.

He’s a definite improvement on what we had and is the best keeper at the club on the evidence I’ve seen. Happy for him to remain no. 1 until the end of the season. Just not convinced he’s the long term solution.
 
Midnight to Six Man said:
Unfortunately he's had 2 shocking games in our only defeats in the last 9.
Click to expand...
He's also played his part in the games we've won though in all fairness.

Fry said after the Millwall game that Carrick is encouraging the players to play out from the back and to be bold. He obviously accepts that mistakes can happy when you play like that but look at the way we've been playing as a team, and the results we've been getting. Steffen is crucial to the way we play and I don't generally feel nervous when he has the ball at his feet.

He did mess up at Burnley and was poor at Sunderland but he's been our Keeper ever since Carrick took over and the results and performances speak for themselves.

I think unfortunately, making that early mistake knocked his confidence and he was looking to go long a lot more than he usually would, which isn't the way we're used to playing.
 
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