Do people actually think Valdes was at fault for CR's goal?

Near post doesn't automatically mean it's a Goalkeeping error ffs!

SKY commentators

Not at fault because Cristiano's shot was very good, but he could have saved it, however, it was not like it was a done save.
Alves was much more responsible.

a GK that plays at a club like Barcelona should have saved it...

.. i do think Valdes has some blame...even if the shot was well placed and powerful..

Gil wrote:Near post doesn't automatically mean it's a Goalkeeping error ffs!

SKY commentators

Not the first time he has been beaten near post in important games. But I agree it was a great shot and he could not do much about it. It looks easy when you watch it on TV but that was a really hard angel to score from.

His near post incident against Van Persie was worse.

He could've saved it but you can't really blame him as the shot was well placed and powerful.

It was at the near post, so he could of saved it imo.

Though if a shot is powerful and accurate, it's probably harder to save.

I guarentee you right now if any other goalkeeper had let that in then not a word had been uttered.

But there seems to be a thing going around atm that Valdes is not good enough for Barca so he must be blamed for every goal until Barca get rid.

There is nothing any goalkeeper could have done about that, it was powerful and right in the corner it was passed him before he could moved.

Both Messi's goals were more savable.

Also this Near post = must save is quickly becoming one of my pet hates.

I agree Mole I think Iker could have stopped both Messi's goals more than Valdes could have stopped CR's.

Well, maybe not the freekick, but I think he should have stopped Messi's first

Valdes has always been poor, this is not the first time he's been beaten on his near post and it won't be the last. Might as well put a scarecrow in there and it will do the same job as Valdes.

Oh, and for people who are talking how fast Ronaldo's shot was...pfff gimme a break. Abbiati saved a more powerful shot from Hulk like a boss and he ain't even that good as a goal-keeper. Reflex-wise, Valdes is slow as fcuk.

Anyway, Madrid should've won yesterday, given that Barca had no defense whatsoever. Mourinho dun goofed.

Not his fault it was a powerful shot more on the defence and it was an excellent pass.

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:I guarentee you right now if any other goalkeeper had let that in then not a word had been uttered.

But there seems to be a thing going around atm that Valdes is not good enough for Barca so he must be blamed for every goal until Barca get rid.

There is nothing any goalkeeper could have done about that, it was powerful and right in the corner it was passed him before he could moved.

Both Messi's goals were more savable.

Also this Near post = must save is quickly becoming one of my pet hates.

Preach my negrito.

free_cat wrote:Not at fault because Cristiano's shot was very good, but he could have saved it, however, it was not like it was a done save.
Alves was much more responsible.

This, think Alves made it alittle bit easy for Ronaldo, don't know what he was trying to do, keep an offside line??

Alves was playing with injury me thinks, hence not really closing him down or blocking his shot.

He has also become a bit complacent this year as well.

During HT, Ballague said that he was taken off not for an injury, hmmm

Maybe his thoughts aren't with Barca atm, his comments about PSG surely supports this

Yeh, Balague said it wasn't injury.

PSG already have van der Wiel.

No, I want to say it's Valdes fault, but it really isn't. He has left his near post a bit open from time to time but that was going in regardless.

People really underestimate the power of the well placed near post shot. If that keeper isn't right there and you hit a similar ball to Ronaldo, it's going in. My brother and I would shoot near post very often, calling it "near post magic" , obviously a bit easier for us as we're not pros and neither are the GK's, but the point remains.

He still needs to watch that near post though, he's left it very open many times before, it was about time it's been punished.

THAT being said, it COULD have been saved, just...it would be an amazing save, that most keepers couldn't make.

Valdes could be at fault though saying that Ronaldo's shot was world class. The power and placement was at perfection. Alves again like against Sevilla, really should have pressured Ronaldo, instead gave him all the time in the world for CR7 to get the shot away and score.
I have seen worse near post errors from Valdes, Arsenal in 2010 the worst.... Its an error that happens usually with him and something that needs to be worked on.

I dont agree with the general feeling on this thread. It was his fault.

Buffon, Neuer, Iker and others isnt letting that in...heck, Valdes of 2 years ago isnt.

He got a hand to it, that alone tellt was me it was savable.

Cristiano hit it well, but the reason it went in was because Valdes was thinking (guessing again) it was going across goal.

So yes, it is his fault and frankly, its starting to look like aside from a 3 year spell where Pep performed miracles on him, his whole career has been filled with these kinds of goals.

Valdes guesses a little bit, but if he stays completely at the near post and Cristiano crosses the ball, then it would have been a goal anyway.

RVP goal at Emirates was much worse than this and was under Pep.

I dont really disagree with that, but I ask what happened to big game Valdes who bailed us out in big matches?

That guy is gone and has been replaced by a slightly better version of pre Pep Valdes.

He just doesnt make saves anymore.

If people think CR's first goal wasn't a routine save then I have no idea what to say. In the top echelons of football those are plum saves to make as goalkeepers shouldn't be exempt of all blame for such shots.

Cris hit it really well though. I think Valdes is a super clown but Sunday night wasn't one of the times he was making an ass of himself.

Could he have saved it? Sure but to do that he would have to hug his near post leaving the rest of the goal wide open.

its just one of primary rules of goalkeeping--never get beaten at the near post!

even if he was practically hugging the post and ronaldo aimed for the far post with a decent dive, a goalkeeper can still cover 90% of the rest of the goal, with only the far top corner area out of his control! and also, for ronaldo to have done that would have required a far more difficult shot for his left foot or to cut back onto his right and risk being closed down!

so yeah, its a goalkeeping error, and a really basic one at that!! agree with dani, whats happened to big game valdes?!

Prometheus wrote:its just one of primary rules of goalkeeping--never get beaten at the near post!

even if he was practically hugging the post and ronaldo aimed for the far post with a decent dive, a goalkeeper can still cover 90% of the rest of the goal, with only the far top corner area out of his control! and also, for ronaldo to have done that would have required a far more difficult shot for his left foot or to cut back onto his right and risk being closed down!

so yeah, its a goalkeeping error, and a really basic one at that!! agree with dani, whats happened to big game valdes?!

exactly. shooting at far post would be difficult for ronaldo with left foot so Valdes should have protected his near post. His fault was his positioning he made such mistakes many times. Also he lacks motivation before he was a lion against madrid now he feels like a chicken. maybe absence of puyol makes him and defense feel like a chicken

I want to see Iker save that bullet coming towards him at that angle. It was a fantastic shot in my opinion, placement and power. That said I think 8/10 he wouldn't have hit the target going for that near post.

And I agree Alves was more at fault than Valdés. Superb shot nevertheless.