Former Red: Adrian’s Performance Is a Source of Worry

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Mark Lawrenson has a lot to say about Adrian after the Arsenal match.

Adrian may have been the hero of Liverpool’s Super Cup win against Chelsea, but plenty of Adrian-skeptics still remain, especially after his Premier League performances. Former Ireland international and Liverpool defender, Mark Lawrenson, voiced his concerns about the goalkeeper following the Arsenal game this weekend.

“The goalkeeper worries me,” Lawrenson told LFC TV. “I just think he sort of, last two games, made the mistake at Southampton when he shouldn’t have been under any pressure and he got away with a big one today. He should have let van Dijk just sort that situation out and he came running off his line.”

The mistake against Southampton was definitely one worthy of a bit of concern (and more than a little wincing), but Adrian is new to the team and to playing at the top of the Premier League, so some mistakes can probably be excused. Lawrenson, however, thinks that mistakes like the ones Adrian has made shouldn’t be happening no matter what level a goalkeeper plays at.

“He just worries me a bit and I know he’s experienced and everything but there’s a reason why nobody else was taking him. I get that [Adrian hasn’t been at Liverpool for long] but do you know something, that decision he made today doesn’t matter whether you’ve been there a minute or a thousand minutes with somebody, it’s his decision-making.

“Obviously the one at Southampton as well and I think the manager will obviously always, always back him because Alisson’s probably not fit until after the international break. But he just worries me a little bit.”

Adrian has definitely made mistakes in the last few games and we’re all obviously hoping that Alisson will recover soon. But that really shouldn’t discount the fact that the goal that Liverpool conceded against Arsenal was borne from poor defending rather than any errors on Adrian’s part. Hopefully Adrian gets less shaky in the coming weeks, but our defense needs to shape up quickly, too.

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com