This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Roshane Thomas, of The Athletic, has been speaking about West Ham United’s goalkeeper situation, following the 3-0 loss against Burnley.
What did he say?
Roberto made another big mistake against Burnley when he attempted to punch away a corner, seeing the ball spin off his fist and over the line.
The goalkeeping situation is beginning to severely cost the Hammers, as they have now gone on a run of seven games without a victory in all competitions – with Roberto making a number of questionable saves during that time.
During a Q&A on The Athletic, one fan put it to Thomas that Roberto should be dropped and that Adrian was never adequately replaced, to which he replied: “Yep, I also think Martin should start the next game. Roberto was very poor today. He’s yet to keep clean sheet in the Premier League. Pellegrini pretty much refused to talk about his performance.
“I don’t think the situation would be this bad if Adrian was still the club’s second-choice goalkeeper.”
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Hard to argue
Adrian definitely would have been able to help the Hammers’ situation because Roberto’s frailties have been a big reason behind them, with fans having shown their frustrations towards him.
A contrast between Roberto and his fellow Spaniard shows just how bad a deal West Ham set out for themselves during the summer.
Adrian played an important part in Liverpool’s UEFA Super Cup win, saving Tammy Abraham’s penalty shootout, with only 1 of his 11 appearances this campaign ending in a loss.
He has also become a surprisingly popular figure at Anfield, which cannot be said for the Hammers’ back-up goalkeeper based on reactions to yesterday’s performance.
The 32-year-old also impressed Garth Crooks when featuring against Burnley, as he was quoted on BBC Sport as saying: “The relationship between the Liverpool back four and stand-in keeper Adrian has had its good and bad moments.”
“Adrian’s performance against Burnley, however, was about as good as it gets. The Spanish keeper made a superb save from Chris Wood at a critical time in the first half, while his defensive unit made sure Adrian was not required to come to their rescue thereafter.”
The Hammers certainly miss the stopper, but will need to find a solution to the issue if they are to pick up points while Lukasz Fabianski is out injured. That may well come in the form of David Martin, the current third-choice, starting between the sticks next time out.