Jamie Carragher says Liverpool may need to look for another goalkeeper if the under-fire Simon Mignolet fails to improve at Anfield.
The Belgium international, signed from Sunderland for £9million in 2013, established himself as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper last season as Brendan Rodgers' side came within three points of winning the Premier League title.
Former defender Carragher says Mignolet failed to make any “defining” saves during that period and his failure to keep out Alvaro Negredo’s winner at Manchester City last December could have made a big difference.
And the Sky Sports pundit says he should have got closer to saving Phil Jagielka’s last-gasp equaliser for Everton at Anfield on Saturday.
Carragher told Monday Night Football: “I think the best goalkeepers who win big trophies make big saves at big moments. That was a big moment. It’s not a massive mistake, but can he do better?
“Everyone always talks about Steven Gerrard slipping and costing Liverpool the league and you can never look at one individual and one mistake, but Demba Ba still had to go through. You’re looking at your keeper and thinking: ‘Come on, win us the league. Make that save that’s going to be a defining moment in the season.’
“Against Manchester City Liverpool lost 2-1 and if he’d made the save from Negredo then that’s two points off City and another one for Liverpool.
“I think of Joe Hart. After the Chelsea game, Man City had a tough game at Everton and they won 3-2. Joe Hart had to make a save from Naismith, flicking his left hand out and that wins them the league.
“We can all talk about goalscorers, players who win the league and make a big difference, but goalkeepers make a massive difference and at those big moments you’ve got to make big saves.
“Up until now in his Liverpool career he hasn’t made those big saves. If it continues I can see Liverpool looking for another goalkeeper.
“There was talk of Victor Valdes because he is a free agent, but he has got to improve.”
Gary Neville believes Mignolet would have stopped Jagielka’s Merseyside derby goal if he hadn’t adopted an unusually low stance when then the shot was struck.
The Sky Sports expert says the goalkeeper made similar mistakes last season, allowing Aaron Ramsey to score for Arsenal and Negredo to score for Man City – and says he needs to stop crouching down so far.
“I’d seen it last season and didn’t mention it then and then I saw it on Saturday on thought that it’s a pattern,” Neville added.
“It’s a technical error for me, the way in which he is crouched down, and that’s the reason I mention it.
“It’s three goals in big games. There might be more, but those are the three that I remember, particularly on Saturday because it was such a big moment in the game.”
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