Latest Nottingham Forest news as Reds goalkeeper in the spotlight after Brentford draw
The American knew he should have stopped the ball as soon as it went in for Brentford’s first goal. He later admitted as much.
“I look myself in the mirror on that first goal and I know I’ve got to be better for my teammates, especially in that moment right after getting the red card,” he stated. “For us to concede in the fashion that we did, I shoulder that burden for sure.”
Turner had a bad afternoon on Sunday. He might have easily given up a penalty for a foul on Yoane Wissa. And he needed Willy Boly to come to his aid as the ball threatened to cross the goal line in the aftermath.
Turner had set the tone early on when he booted a straightforward kick out of play. His distribution has been normally good, but on this occasion he fell short of his previous standards.
Prior to the game against the Bees, though, the former Arsenal goalkeeper had performed admirably. He had made several impressive saves in his first few Reds matches and had settled very fast.
Nonetheless, he will be well aware that no position on the team is assured. Even the goalie’s.
Head coach Steve Cooper has previously stated that having a No.1 and a No.2 is not enough. Odysseas Vlachodimos, like Turner, was one of the club’s 13 summer additions. He is a Greek international who will be eager to play.
“You are in the Premier League, so everywhere you go you are going to have to fight for your spot and have competition,” Turner stated. That was certainly the case at the Emirates, where he couldn’t get past Aaron Ramsdale. It will be the same at City Ground.
However, changing goalkeepers is always an important choice for any manager. At the tail end of the pitch, consistency is crucial.
Cooper’s decision to try Vlachodimos remains to be seen. This season, the Welshman has already demonstrated his willingness to make major selection decisions. After all, he inserted young defender Murillo into the starting lineup at the weekend while keeping Morgan Gibbs-White on the bench.
Goalkeepers are still heavily scrutinized. Turner will understand that he cannot afford to make too many mistakes, not with someone ready to step in.
Dropping him after one particularly bad game would be unjust. The USA international, on the other hand, will be aware that his colleague is breathing down his neck – probably even more so after Sunday.
Leave a Reply