Messi983
Senior Member
Might be the Alba effect and MATS's legs starts to shake every time he sees that mental midget "defending" in front of him.
(Half) joking but I think the fact Xavi changed three defenders compared to last game maybe played a role in him feeling a bit more insecure. Had a very good start to the season and if he'll have a bit on an off day then better in games like this we should win comfortable anyway but I think Gnidro is right and MATS's confidence is still not really where it should be to fully trust him. Clearly refreshing to see him having some actual good and important saves in previous games though.
Chemistry between GK and defenders is very important so hopefully Xavi will soon find a back 4 that works well together although I suspect this won't be easy with packed schedule and need for rotations to keep players fresh for second half of the season after WC.
MATS must believe guys in front of him will do their job and limit chances for the opponents (which they weren't really doing in last few years) but at the same time defenders must also trust him to not let a goal in every time opponents will get into a scoring chance like it happened too often in recent years. People often like to single out players and individual quality is obviously important but in the end if you want to win titles you need to learn how to defend as a team. I think we're improving in that aspect but still a lot of work ahead of Xavi and his boys to get to the point where we could also win games 1-0 relatively comfortable on days (and those days will come too during the season) when Lewy&Co. won't be in best form and score 3-4 goals.
