Hugo Lloris has developed a reputation as an elite goalkeeper, nobody can deny that.
The Tottenham Hotspur skipper ranks among the very best in the business. However, his legacy is gradually being tainted by the tendency to commit silly mistakes.
When Spurs visited PSV in the Champions League, the English side
Hirving Lozano altered that script when he gave the Dutch team an early lead. Typical Spurs, they rallied back through Lucas Moura and took full control thanks to Harry Kane. Davidson Sanchez even had a goal wrongfully ruled out. Still, Spurs appeared well set to revive their Group B qualification hopes.
Until Lloris took over the show. The Frenchman had a rush of blood, needlessly committing a foul outside his penalty area on Lozano. He was sent off and, shortly after Luuk de Jong equalised to leave both PSV and Spurs with one point from three games.
Lloris’ clangers are becoming an all too familiar sight. He was at fault for Barcelona’s opening goal in the 4-2 defeat at Wembley last, which saw Spurs fall behind with barely a minute on the clock. The France captain was also embarrassed in the summer’s World Cup final by Croatia’s Mario Mandzukic.
His gaffer vs. PSV was the second blunder in as many Champions League outings, and third in a big game in past fourth months. According to the Premier League, errors from Lloris have resulted in 15 top-flight goals since he arrived at Spurs in 2012. That places him joint-ninth in a table of the most errors leading to goals made by goalkeepers in Premier League history.
Although still an infant in Heurelho Gomes’ school of shame, however, it has become a great cause for concern. The keeper’s inability to sweep up behind the defence is an issue. Lloris does not read the situation to intercept those balls that go in behind the back line and sometimes lacks the pace to come out to deal with them.
Lloris hasn’t suddenly turned in to a bad goalie overnight. He is just a very good one making some poor decisions. It is now for Mauricio Pochettino to decide whether Lloris should stay in the line up, or whether it is best to take him off it for the team’s and his own benefit.
What do you think?
