Southampton: Should Fraser Forster get dropped against Crystal Palace?
By Chris Hughes
Fraser Forster’s performance at the weekend was arguably one of his worst in a Southampton shirt. But should he be dropped?
The dust has settled since Southampton’s loss to Watford on Saturday, with many of the supporters pointing their fingers at one man in particular.
Several of the Southampton players were to blame in truth, with just one shot on target and only Cedric Soares producing a performance that could be considered much more than sub-par.
However there was one man who was particularly poor – Fraser Forster. There’s no denial that the goalkeeper was at fault for both goals as he struggled to get across his line to save not one, but two long-range efforts from the away side.
The Hornets were deservedly awarded all three points but the fact remains that Forster should’ve done better with both goals – in particular the first one. Without leaving Aboulaye Dourcoure out of pocket, the Frenchman’s effort was fairly tame and misfit into the ground.
Forster’s performance was given a 5.31 by WhoScored, which ranked him as comfortably the worst-performing Saints player of the afternoon.
Despite being rightfully dropped from the English national team as a result of his slow start Forster is yet to be dropped from the Southampton first team however. In fact you’re looking at close to two years since he didn’t last start a league game.
In short, Forster should be dropped as reflection of his bad performances – if a striker fails to score then he loses his place, and if a goalie can’t save then he should lose his.
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Forster remains a top quality stopper, that remains facts, but when his form is costing Saints games it’s difficult to think another way.
Against West Ham United Charlie Austin’s late penalty saved some serious embarrassment on Southampton’s part – two sloppy saves from Forster in goal meant a ten-man Hammers side nearly snatched a point. So what’s stopping Pellegrino?
Last night, Alex McCarthy – seemingly Southampton’s back-up goalie – conceded four goals to Aston Villa’s Under-23 side.
Supporters, myself included, have been crying out for Macca to get a nod and to prove his worth following a long injury lay-off. However, if he’s conceding four goals to teenage players from a Championship side, how can he be trusted?
Beyond that, Southampton’s third and fourth-choice ‘keepers don’t offer much either. Jack Rose failed to make a Premier League appearance for West Brom before his departure this summer. 36-year-old Stuart Taylor might offer a dressing room presence but he hasn’t played a minute of football in the top flight since the 2012/13 season with Reading.
It seems like the main issue with Forster is a simple lack of competition – or lack of faith from the manager in Saints’ other options.
Against Crystal Palace – a side who are yet to score in the league this year – a different goalkeeper should get the nod. The question lies as to whether Pellegrino is bold enough to make that call.