Club Bruggedr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The hero from the first leg was yesterday the meal in return† Or how Simon Mignolet’s season is one of extremes.
“At least the sun won’t shine on Wednesday evening.” Last Sunday Simon Mignolet could still laugh about it – his blunder did not cost Club Brugge dearly. Blauw-Zwart won against Antwerp, not a rooster crowing at the goalkeeper’s mistake. Also because he seemed completely old again since New Years. In the first leg in the Ghelamco Arena, among other things, he had kept the blue-black upright as usual. It was the fourth clean sheet in five games under Schreuder at the beginning of February.
“I still had an account open to the group,” all pre-New Year’s concerns seemed to have been washed away that evening. The goalkeeper himself announced it before the resumption in January at the Gala of the Golden Shoe: “This year I will be my old self again.” That went well for a long time, until this week. And then we want to close our eyes a bit for the goal against Antwerp, where the bright sunlight provided mitigating circumstances.
Badly drafted
Club Brugge faced a – albeit not insurmountable – 0-1 deficit yesterday when the doom scenario for the number 88 took place. Ten minutes before the break, Mignolet first failed to process a hard shot from De Sart sufficiently. After poor relief from Skov Olsen, Castro-Montes took his chance from afar – the ball flew high into the roof of the goal behind Mignolet. The experienced goalkeeper was poorly positioned, about four meters from his goal line. There was no longer an ultimate hand wipe. It didn’t look as badass as last Sunday, but you couldn’t possibly beat the 0-2 Mignolet.
Big consequences
Just when the goalkeeper who so often kept his hand above Club’s head seemed relieved of all worries, he fluttered twice in four days. And whether yesterday’s misjudgment has consequences. Club was better and deserved much more than a 0-1 deficit, but the 0-2 was a huge blow. After Odoi’s red card and the 0-3, it was over and out before the hour.
The all-important Simon Mignolet saddles blue-black this season with mixed feelings. Unbeatable in many matches, but too often caught on a blunder this season. The diptych against AA Gent is exemplary. Unable to pass in Ghent, but partly responsible for the elimination yesterday. Just as he was very important in, say, Union, Charleroi or Genk, only to make several mistakes, especially in November.
It should be possible to make a mistake, even two, but sooner or later the sum will start to weigh in. That may not be quite the case yet, but Mignolet will benefit from quickly regaining its form from January and February. Not that his position or importance should be doubted, only no goalkeeper in the world can make mistakes every time. Club must soon become champions, otherwise the season will simply be one big failure. Well, to avoid such a major disappointment, blue-black will need the real Simon Mignolet.
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