It's been a stuttering start to his Premier League career for Spurs goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes. The giant Brazilian keeper has been at fault for several goals lately, and derailed Harry Redknapp's revival with a schoolboy error against Fulham. The knives are out, and various hysterical pundits are comparing Gomes to short-time Manchester United goalkeeper Massimo Tiaibi, famous for an all-time howler that cost him his job after just three games. At the very least, Gomes is seen as an insufficient replacement for Paul Robinson, who has rediscovered some, if not all, of his form since his move to Blackburn.
Not so fast. There is reason to believe Gomes will come good. He has all the physical attributes of a top keeper, and more importantly, he has the mentality. Despite the errors, he has made brilliant saves in nearly every game he has played. Compare that to the recent performance of Thomas Sorenson at Old Trafford. A 3rd-minute error (albeit on a wickedly swerving shot) gifted Ronaldo a goal, and from that point on, the clearly rattled Sorenson struggled with the simplest of tasks. Gomes puts his errors behind him and gets on with it. He's also brave and aggressive, with many of his mistakes coming when he has tried to claim crosses he would have been better off leaving to his defenders.
All he needs is a break. Drop him for a game or two, let him work hard on the training pitch without the pressure and concern of making another mistake. Let the media forget about him for a few games. Then let him start over. I think he has it in him to be a reliable goalkeeper.
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