Frank Lampard opens up on goalkeeper 'competition' ahead of clash with Plymouth Argyle
Frank Lampard says he and his coaching staff will “support” goalkeeper Brad Collins in the wake of a difficult afternoon at Portsmouth at the weekend.
The Sky Blues stopper was heavily criticised by the fans for his part in the 4-1 thrashing at Fratton Park, a performance littered with individual defensive mistakes.
The No.1 spot has been a problem position all season despite the fact that the club has three senior keepers on its books. Summer signing Oliver Dovin was hoped to be the club’s answer to the issues between the posts but the inexperienced 22-year-old initially struggled to adapt to the rigours of the English Championship and was replaced by Ben Wilson in late September.
READ MORE: Defensive disaster class, January fix and keeper question looms large
READ MORE: Frank Lampard pinpoints worrying trait in shocking performance
The 32-year-old – City’s most experienced player – then picked up a knee ligament injury which opened the door for Dovin to return. However, the Sweden international was then replaced by third choice Collins after suffering a ‘freak’ injury in training, and the latter has stayed in goal ever since – a period in which the team have conceded 15 goals in the space of eight games.
His latest performance clearly lacked confidence and begs the question whether Lampard will make a change for Boxing Day’s home game with Plymouth Argyle.
Asked how he approaches dealing with the situation in the wake of such a difficult afternoon against Pompey, the City boss said: “Well, we have to support him. It’s a specific role in the team, as a goalkeeper. They sign up for that when they decide to be goalkeepers or whatever age that they do. And um, we support him.
“We have got competition in goal anyway, and I knew that coming in but, um, yeah, our job is to support all the players and help them improve. And in difficult games, which everybody has, it’s even more important that we do our job.”
The City boss, not surprisingly, declined to say whether he was contemplating making a change for Thursday’s match when Dovin is the only fully fit option. Wilson has been back on the grass training but has been out a long time and was not quite 100 percent as of Friday.
