This thread is migraine-inducing.
Since we want to discredit the opinion of a former Gk great based on his nationality, has there been an actual and a credible sport journo/analyst (and by that I don't mean catalan tabloid writers) who 've laid the blame on the keeper for the goal? Just curious like.
Constructive criticism is fine et al, but constant ridicule and castigation of the player because of personal dislike is unacceptable. So is throwing around words like 'shameful'. Are we evaluating an athlete's performance in the context of a match, or off-pitch misdemeanors here?
And since one poster talked about critically analyzing a performance. There was a lot of good things he did. For a start, his passing looked a lot closer to what he's capable of, defused couple of counters with early interventions, released the pressure off his teammates by finding them when pressed high by the opponent, one instance being the one-touch lob right after that goal. All crucial in my book. But being a Barca goalie is a thankless job.
I think we can agree MAtS tends to be lackadaisical at times, not something that can't be ironed out with time. Some of his higher rated peers have had their embarrassing moments, even frequently, and that while playing more regularly and sans pressure of losing their spot. I doubt they had be any better in a system that exposes the keeper like no other.
