Mignolet: Poor form made me mentally stronger

The Belgium international's poor performances troughed when he was not selected for the December 14 fixture against Manchester United at Old Trafford, ending a run of 53 consecutive Premier League games between the sticks.

But an injury to stand-in shot-stopper Brad Jones meant Mignolet was back in the side just three matches later at Burnley, and he hasn't looked back since.

Mignolet has produced several impressive performances to help keep the Reds in contention for a top-four finish, and he insists the disappointment of dropping to the substitutes' bench helped make him mentally stronger.

Speaking exclusively in the May 2015 issue of FourFourTwo, he says: "I was positive. Every goalkeeper goes through those stages, and you only get mentally stronger from them. Because we play so many games, I just looked forward to the next match. I always wanted to keep improving and moving forward. I’m in my second year now at Liverpool and I’ve learned a lot.

"There’s always something to work on. I’ve just turned 27 but I still pick up things every day. That helps get through difficult moments."

Since returning to the first-team fold, Mignolet has yet to concede a league goal on the road, becoming the first Reds custodian to keep six consecutive Premier League away clean sheets.

On his milestone, Mignolet added: "I’ve been pleased with my form, but I don’t really look at records. The most important thing is the team, and winning points. Keeping a clean sheet isn’t something you do on your own – it’s a group effort. Since we changed to the new system, we’ve been well organised.

"You concede or score as a unit, and at the moment from the top of the pitch to me, we are pressing well. We’re tight at the back, we squeeze up well. Everyone is doing their job and working hard. It’s great to play behind a solid team."

Read the full interview with Simon Mignolet in the May 2015 issue of FourFourTwo, which also features the Top 50 Football League Players. This month’s magazine also examines whether Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp is poised to move to England, goes One-on-One with ex-Manchester United and Leeds hard man Alan Smith, chats to Nacer Chadli and Ryan Bertrand about the chase for the Champions League and meets the hardest player ever. Subscribe!