The Liverpool goalkeeper Brad Jones believes Simon Mignolet has been the target of unjustified criticism but admits the Belgian’s demotion has at the same time provided an opportunity for him to earn a new contract at Anfield.
Jones has started Liverpool’s last three games after Mignolet was dropped for “an indefinite period” by the manager, Brendan Rodgers, over his unconvincing form and the team’s overall defensive problems. Liverpool’s displays have improved in that period, albeit owing to Rodgers’ switch to a 3-4-2-1 system rather than the change of goalkeeper, with Jones conceding five goals in the eight shots he has faced in two Premier League games against Arsenal and Manchester United.
The Australian insists his relationship with Mignolet remains strong after his elevation to the first team at Old Trafford, and sympathises with the £9m signing from Sunderland given the criticism of his performances this season. “That is what TV pundits do, isn’t it? They pick holes in people,” said Jones (pictured right). “They pick holes in teams and point out things, ‘You could have done this … you could have done that …’; a lot of the time, it can be unjustified. Sometimes it is justified.
“Football is all about different situations. Certain people like to justify their position by jumping on the bandwagon and saying something that gets in the press. It is up to them. That is their job.”
Jones added: “We have a very good relationship. We are old enough to know there is nothing petty between players. It is the manager’s decision. We just crack on in training and work as hard as we can. We want to improve each other. Whoever is playing, we want results and we want to get the team up the table. As soon as we start moving up the table, everyone is happy.”
The former Middlesbrough goalkeeper has received no assurances from Rodgers over how long he will continue in goal for Liverpool, who may look to strengthen their options in that department in the January window. The Liverpool manager is an admirer of Petr Cech but Chelsea are unlikely to do business with their Anfield counterparts while, despite reports linking Guillermo Ochoa with a move to Merseyside, the club is not pursuing a deal for Mexico’s goalkeeper, who impressed at the World Cup in Brazil.
“Indefinite means no timescale,” said Jones. “It is just up to me to go out and do my best and hold on to it for as long as I can. As long as that continues, great. If it is a couple of weeks, a couple of months, we will see. I just have to make the most of it when I can.
“Every game is an opportunity. The manager hasn’t said anything. I’ll just play each game and hope that I do well enough to play the next one. I haven’t had an awful lot to do in the last three games. I have tried to help the team in certain situations. I have tried to play as the manager wants me to do. I have just got to go on doing that. In football, and with goalkeepers, circumstances dictate how much you do and when you do it. Sometimes you might not have a chance to do anything. I just try and play as best as I can in every aspect.”
Jones and four Liverpool defenders are out of contract next summer – Kolo Touré, Glen Johnson, Jon Flanagan and Brad Smith being the others – and the 32-year-old admits he must seize the current opportunity if he is to be offered a new deal.
“Everyone wants to link other players with us and that is probably not going to change,” he said. “We will get linked with another 20 goalkeepers now but I won’t let it affect me. Every game that I play, I will just go out and do my best. Do I want to stay? Of course I do.”
