Kasper Schmeichel has defended Nottingham Forest star Keylor Navas following Ivan Toney’s goal for Brentford at the weekend.
The man who won a Premier League title with Leicester was speaking on last night’s edition of Monday Night Football on Sky Sports.
Forest were leading at half-time against Brentford on Saturday. They managed to hold on until the 82nd minute when Toney equalised.
His free-kick was allowed to go goalbound by the Forest wall, with Navas then unable to prevent the ball from going into the net.
Navas signed for Forest in January. He’s been a mainstay in the team since arriving and has made some quality saves since arriving.
It was a disappointing goal for Forest to concede and proved the catalyst for another defeat on their travels. Schmeichel, however, has sympathy for Navas.
He told Sky Sports: “First and foremost, the wall. It’s criminal what happens in the wall. The whole idea of the wall is the trust between you and the goalkeeper.
“He’s covering his side of the goal, the wall has to cover the other side. As soon as it goes through the ball, it’s practically impossible. You’re talking centimetres and he’s so close to getting there. It’s very unlucky from the goalkeeper’s perspective.”
Navas defended by Schmeichel after Toney strike
We think that ultimately, Schmeichel is wrong here. He’s firmly in the union for goalkeepers but both parties are at fault here.
The Costa Rican international will be disappointed with his attempt at a save. He should be keeping that ball out of the net, as much as Kouyate should have stood his ground.
Navas has largely been a decent addition to the squad. He’s won three Champions League titles and several league titles during his career.
Forest will have expected more from a goalkeeper with such a wealth of experience, with Kouyate’s defensive attempts in the wall also suspect.
The Reds will have to park this one quickly. Forest’s next game is against Southampton at home and they simply cannot afford to lose.