Leno Shows Again That He Must Leave. by AI
This is no longer new. It is now painfully obvious to anyone that Bernd Leno cannot do three things, all of which make for a great goalkeeper:
— Command his box in the air.
— Distribute the ball calmly and assuredly.
— Inspire confidence in his defenders.
Leno remains a good shotstopper, but not so good as to warrant overlooking his many faults. He has no leadership qualities, no authority, no assertiveness at the back. He cannot pass the ball cleanly and confidently to his players. He is poor at claiming crosses and shutting down setpiece situations.
David Raya of Brentford, a player we have been formerly linked to, showed us what it means when a goalkeeper can pass out of the back. Teams like Leeds, Brentford, Leicester, Chelsea, City, Liverpool among others all have goalkeepers who are proficient at passing. It is an essential part of good possession play or even launching counterattacks. And Bernd Leno is just not good at it. Every game, he shows that.
Teams know that they can press us all the way to the goalkeeper because they know that Leno is a weakness. The last time City and Liverpool tried it when we had a competent passer in Emiliano Martinez, they conceded goals and checked themselves.
With the away crowds back and booming, Leno will only make more errors at passing. His replacement is a priority.
Agboola Israel