Ben Foster believes Illan Meslier's confidence has hit 'rock bottom' and it is time to take him out of the 'firing line'.
Meslier is currently enduring his toughest run of form since joining Leeds United from Lorient in 2019, with the Whites having conceded 16 goals in their last five matches. The young Frenchman was at fault for two of Bournemouth's goals in the 4-1 defeat on the South Coast on Sunday, while games against Crystal Palace, Liverpool and Fulham also saw him make costly errors.
Leeds are set to appoint Sam Allardyce as the club's manager for the last four matches of the season in their quest for survival, and have experienced shotstopper Joel Robles as backup. Speaking on The Football Fill-In, ex-England man Foster says it is almost impossible for a goalkeeper to perform at his best when confidence is so low and thinks now is the time to take him out of the team.
“Poor Illan Meslier. I’m feeling for him. I think you have to take him out of the firing line now. Listen, Illan Meslier is a good goalie. He’s proven it over the last couple of years.
“But this just goes to show that when a goalkeeper’s confidence is rock bottom and I mean, rock bottom, shot to pieces, it doesn’t matter how good of a goalie you are. It genuinely does not matter how good a goalie you are if you cannot take that proper mentality into a game, there’s no point.”
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