Even an ordinary photo is fodder for debate: will Senne Lammens survive in the cursed spot that everyone talks about?
How many people would want/could be in Senne Lammens’ shoes? The 23-year-old Belgian is under the pressure of one of the most talked about positions in football: goalkeeper at Manchester United. A sketch of the pressure cooker in which Lammens must remain ice-cold – especially now that she promises to get hot for the first time against Liverpool.
“He looks extremely boring and it should definitely stay that way.”
A seemingly normal photo of Senne Lammens’ arrival at the Red Devils went viral during the international break. Under the post on X, which reached more than one million people, fans analyzed their new goalkeeper to the bone.
From his beige outfit to Birkenstock shoes to the cap and the grin on his face.
Welcome to the crazy world of Manchester United.
Cook in the pressure cooker
Since his impressive transfer and successful debut, the Belgian goalkeeper has become a main topic in the intense debates surrounding the English record champions.
In football, there are few clubs where everything is under such a magnifying glass as at Manchester United, which has the largest following worldwide after the Spanish top clubs FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Every grain of news and every achievement is fried in the pressure cooker that The Red Devils have become.
Analysts and journalists are trampling each other with sharp analyzes of the fallen top club, the flow of content on social media is – just think of the Afroman – unseen.
To give you an idea: from the first rumors about Lammens, compilations of more than half an hour with all his saves (but also blunders) were widely shared and discussed in Antwerp.
Just like on his debut against Sunderland two weeks ago. That was good without a doubt with some excellent interventions, but now no world saves either.
Yet it was enough for many United fans to already idolize Lammens. Our compatriot saw his number of followers increase from 10,000 to 580,000.
In fact, Lammens has embarked on a Herculean task – moving to, say, Brighton first would have been easier.
Filip Joos
It typifies the extremes around United.
“And the fact that things have gone so badly in recent years has only increased the power of the attention magnet,” noted Filip Joos, who will soon comment on the clash against Liverpool. “More is being written about teams that are doing poorly.”
“At United you also have ex-players who are now pundits, such as Gary Neville and Roy Keane. Plus Alex Ferguson who is in the stands.”
The 23-year-old Lammens also plays in a position where there has been frequent storms in recent seasons. In fact, you can call it one of the most talked about positions in football.
Because after the retirement of club legend Edwin van der Sar, there was rarely any peace between the posts at United. First there was the downfall of David de Gea, then André Onana disappointed and this season Altay Bayindir did not seize his chance either.
“It is difficult in the current situation to do well individually in Manchester,” says Joos.
“Certainly as a goalkeeper, it is almost impossible to succeed if the team does not perform better quickly. Suppose they end up 12th again, no one will say that Lammens had a fantastic season. In fact, he has embarked on a Herculean task – first moving to, say, Brighton, would have been easier. But it is very impressive that Lammens dares and does this.”
Peace of mind and support
The question of 1 million – or 25, in the case of Lammens – is now how our young compatriot will deal with that withering pressure.
Also in his first major interview on the club website, the final player shared his experience that “every aspect is bigger” at Manchester United.
Yet Filip Joos suspects that the down-to-earth East Flemish is mentally strong enough to deal with this new reality.
“I hear that from people who know him well and I also saw it myself during a few matches in Belgium. The way he reacted after a mistake in front of the cameras at Antwerp … His handling of those moments approached perfection. His head is firmly on his shoulders. That will have to be the case, because remaining completely flawless will be impossible. Even Peter Schmeichel sometimes went wrong.”
Lammens will find support in every home match from the 60,000 fans at Old Trafford.
Filip Joos
In an article by The Athleticwhich published a large portrait this weekend, also praises Sander Krabbendam – ex-head of the youth goalkeepers at Club – the ice cream rabbit in Lammens.
“Put him in a fire and he would still do his job,” he said.
Moreover, according to Joos, the goalkeeper must find peace of mind in the thought that this adventure will normally never ruin Lammens’ career for good.
“Suppose United fail, he will not end up in the desert,” guarantees the commentator, who outlines that the pressure on Old Trafford itself is actually not too bad compared to the storm outside the walls of the stadium.
“As a player you can play in much worse places than in Manchester. Despite all the despair, the supporters at Old Trafford continue to support every match. As if the recent past does not exist for them. And that is the first direct pressure you experience as a player. Lammens will find support from the 60,000 fans in every home match.”
That will probably not be the case tonight for his first really big test. At 5.30 pm Lammens will play the top match with United against Liverpool.
What does Joos expect from that clash at Anfield?
“This is the kind of match that Amorim wanted to save the newly arrived Lammens from at Manchester City. Not because he didn’t have confidence in Lammens, but because he didn’t have one in his team. I just don’t know if much has changed since then. I think Liverpool is currently not as strong offensively as City. So there must be something possible for United and Lammens there.”
