Jamie Carragher Criticizes Premier League Goalkeeping Standard After Brentford’s Own-Goal Against Tottenham

Jamie Carragher has spoken out about what he sees as a concerning trend in the Premier League: a drop in the quality of goalkeeping.

The former Liverpool defender’s comments come after an own-goal during Brentford’s match against Tottenham, which saw the Bees concede a poor goal in the first half.

Brentford’s Own-Goal and Goalkeeper Mistake

In the match at the Gtech Community Stadium, Brentford found themselves trailing after Vitaly Janelt inadvertently turned Son Heung-min’s corner into his own net.

Hakon Valdimarsson, who was standing in for the injured Mark Flekken, failed to claim the ball in the box, and the ball ended up off Janelt’s back, leading to the own-goal.

Carragher didn’t hold back when analyzing the situation.

Speaking on Sky Sports, he expressed frustration with the current state of goalkeeping, saying, “I actually think the level of goalkeeping in the Premier League right now is as bad as it’s been.”

He noted that with the increasing number of goals in recent seasons, the standard of goalkeeping has been a key factor in the trend.

Carragher’s Critique of Valdimarsson’s Positioning

Carragher pointed out specific mistakes in Valdimarsson’s positioning that led to the own-goal.

“The goalkeeper’s starting position is just wrong.

We see this a lot now, so many players in the six-yard box,” Carragher explained.

“As a goalkeeper, you’ve got to really be on the other side of the attacking player there. That’s just a recipe for disaster.”

The criticism didn’t stop there, with fellow pundit Micah Richards also calling out Valdimarsson’s role in the goal.

He was particularly critical of the goalkeeper’s failure to keep his eye on the ball.

“He’s not even looking at the ball.

He’s facing the other way, trying to stop Bissouma and doesn’t realise the ball is coming in until it hits him,” Richards said.

“It’s just poor defending, the mix-up between defender and goalkeeper.”

Spurs Secure 2-0 Win

Despite the early setback, Tottenham added another goal late in the match, with Pape Matar Sarr scoring in the final few minutes to seal a 2-0 win.

The result saw Ange Postecoglou’s side climb to 14th in the Premier League table, while Brentford remained in 11th place.

This game highlighted ongoing concerns about goalkeeping standards in the league, leaving many fans and analysts wondering if the trend will continue.