So when Joel was dropped Martinez gave the rationale that it was because Howard was the undisputed #1
He said that the role of goalkeeper is different to that of an outfield player in that you the role involves form over a much longer timeframe- you can't rotate keepers game by game.
This leads to me to query the point of Robles in the squad.
Is he the #2 whose job is to challenge and keep Howard on his toes, or is he the injury backup.
I assume that he's the latter because when Howard got injured at the end of December Martinez admitted (amazingly) that he was on the hunt for a new goalkeeper. When pressed on the nature of his targets he suggested it would be a long-term acquisition, suggesting a #1.
So the question this leads to is- what more does Robles have to do to get a chance in goal based on form.
Howard's long term form is horrific- 10 games without a clean sheet, 3 clean sheets in 20. The same amount Robles has in 7.
If Robles can not displace Howard at the moment the implication is clearly that Robles is not good enough. Whether true or not that would be the message given out by Martinez.
He could very well play Howard on Thursday and say its so as to let him regain confidence, but we all remember the last time he did this we got eliminated from the FA cup in the first round.
If Martinez is worried to drop Howard on account of his personality and influence in the change-room
“Tim Howard is one of our leaders, one of the most solid performers,” Martinez said. “What he brings as a goalkeeper is his understanding with other players, what he has achieved in the game, and when he is fully fit, he is a very strong performer.
“His performance against Chelsea was outstanding and his performance against Young Boys, after the first goal when he doesn’t see the ball, was terrific.
“I don’t think that is the difference between getting three points and one point today.”
which it would seem to be- it would reflect immense weakness on the part of Martinez.
We mock Brendan Rogers all the time, and rightly so- But there is absolutely ZERO argument that he dealt with Mignolet PERFECTLY. He dropped him in a humiliating way. He threw him under the bus by all accounts. And since his return there has been no keeper that has kept more clean sheets than him.
In short-
If he does not drop Howard he will be doing both keepers a massive, massive disservice
