Liverpool predicted XI vs. Villarreal

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - APRIL 20: Daniel Sturridge of Liverpool celebrates with Mamadou Sakho of Liverpool after scoring his sides third goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield, April 20, 2016, Liverpool, England (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - APRIL 20: Daniel Sturridge of Liverpool celebrates with Mamadou Sakho of Liverpool after scoring his sides third goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield, April 20, 2016, Liverpool, England (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
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DORTMUND, NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA – APRIL 07: Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet of Liverpool gestures during the UEFA Europa League quarter final first leg match between Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool at Signal Iduna Park on April 7, 2016 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Boris Streubel/Getty Images)
DORTMUND, NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA – APRIL 07: Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet of Liverpool gestures during the UEFA Europa League quarter final first leg match between Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool at Signal Iduna Park on April 7, 2016 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Boris Streubel/Getty Images)

GK Simon Mignolet

As much as I’ve used this platform to absolutely deride Simon Mignolet, it’s not like Danny Ward is challenging him for playing time in a Europa League semifinal. Also, I (try to be) fair, and Mignolet played very well in Spain, including a few key saves.

Thankfully, apparently Villarreal have absolutely no film on Liverpool because they failed to cross the ball very often. It’s really not that hard to score against Mignolet. He’s a good shot stopper, especially on confidence. Float a few pedestrian crosses, it short-circuits his inner wiring and what floats into his vision is an “ERROR: CANNOT COMPUTE” message and roots himself to the goal line.

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