Illan Meslier is 6 feet 6 inches tall and quite a statuesque figure. However, he is not an imposing figure because he
doesn t impose himself on the attacking side and as such he doesn t command his area. More often than not, he elects to punch the ball rather than catch it. How he has got to the age of 24 without having this "coached" out of him is beyond comprehension. He got away with it in the Championship because when he punched the ball and it fell to the opposition, they were not technically gifted enough to stick it in the back of his net. In the PL players will and did punish us. Until he learns to catch the ball under pressure, he will never be a top class keeper. I seem to remember David de Gea at Man Utd didn t like the physicality of the game and they worked on him until taking crosses became second nature. He made a few mistakes did Spanish Dave, but he was their Players player of the Year on 4 occasions, won the PL Golden Gloves twice and played 45 times for Spain, which isn t shabby as his career slightly overlapped with Casillas who played 167 times for his country.
Preston sussed Meslier at their place last season, got stuck in on him and he didn t like it, which culminated in his red card.
I think it s difficult to compare keepers from yesteryear and now. We can argue about Leeds keepers because we all saw enough first hand.
However, all games are televised now, so we see all the mistakes, which most keepers make.
Is Illan Meslier the next Hugo Lloris?
Absolutely not.