MODERN DAY GOALKEEPERS, OVERRATED OR NOT

“If you bring the ball out well initially, then you play well. If you don’t do that then there’s no chance of playing well” – Johan Cruyff

Over the past decade or so the goalkeeper is a position in football that has been revolutionized as well as other positions like the fullback and striker, however goalkeeping has moved beyond saving goals and kicking it long. In 1992 the back pass rule was introduced, a rule that prevented goalkeepers from picking up intentional back passes from their teammates, instead forcing them to take a touch with their feet which birthed the initial idea of the “Modern Goalkeeper”.

Modern day goalkeeper is an outfield player who takes active part in the build-up phase or first phase of possession. The modern day goalkeeper starts off moves by passing it to their center backs, the pivote (or deepest midfielder), clipping passes into the fullbacks or wide midfielders who are holding the width or accurately pinging long balls over the top of the opposition’s defensive line.

The modern day goalkeeper like other positions has basic or fundamental skillsets that the player must possess. I have narrowed them into 4, and they are;

1. Shot Stopping: The entire point of having a player wear gloves and stand in front of the goalpost is to stop goals, that is the first job of a goalkeeper and everything else is a plus. A goalkeeper that isn’t good at stopping shots is like a bottle without a cover, useless. Shot stopping requires ability as well as intelligence, the goalkeeper has to decide whether to hold unto the shots or punch/parry them into safe zones that won’t immediately hurt their team.

2. Command of Area: Another skill that a modern keeper is required to have is the ability to command their penalty box. A major aspect of commanding the penalty box is the ability to claim crosses, claiming crosses is such an important aspect of the game because it puts an end to the oppositions attack and helps to relieve your defense of any pressure. However it isn’t an easy thing to do, it requires intelligence (reading the flight of the cross) and bravery (getting off your line and challenging for the ball). Commanding your area also involves organizing the players in front of you as well as constant communication with them, goalkeepers have the best view out of any player on the pitch so it’s their responsibility to make sure their defense is well organized in various phases of play.

3. Distribution: Distribution is the ability of a goalkeeper to pick out a team mate with either a pass (short or long) or throws. Asides from the fact that the goalkeeper is required to have the ability to distribute the ball with accuracy, the goalkeeper also has to be able to make the right decision under pressure from the opposition and fans in the stands or else they risk conceding possession to their opponents. This is an important skill to have as most goalkeepers are now required to start off moves for their teams. The graphic below shows passes per90 against pass accuracy in percentage for goalkeepers who played more than 2,000 minutes in Europe's top 5 leagues in 2021/22 season.

4. Aggressive Positioning and Sweeping : Sweeping is probably the only skill required to be a modern goalkeeper that cannot be taught on the training pitch, sure a goalkeeper can work on his positioning out of possession but sweeping requires intelligence and bravery as almost every other aspect of being a goalkeeper. If done correctly the goalkeeper can end opposition counter attacks in a flash by sweeping up long balls played over his defensive line, if not done correctly it can lead to accidents, fouls (possibly a sending off) and embarrassing moments for the keeper who would have an empty goal at the mercy of their opposition. Aggressive positioning is also pivotal in shot stopping, it can put the opposition under immense pressure as well as allowing the goalkeeper to narrow down the shooting angles and make the goal smaller. However with time the goalkeeper can build their confidence in this area as well as improve their positioning without the ball. The image below shows the heatmap of Neuer and Alisson who are considered to be modern goalkeepers or sweeper keepers against Oblak and De Gea who are more traditional line goalkeepers, notice how much Neuer and Alisson are more active outside their box?

Some of the best keepers in world football today are modern day goalkeepers and showcase all of the attributes listed above to a very high level, some of them include Alisson Becker (Liverpool), Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Ederson (Man City), Andre Onana (Inter Milan), Marc-Andre Ter Stegen (Barcelona), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich) just to name a few

Goalkeepers are now major influencers of their teams’ philosophy and how they intend to play. With numerous teams opting to play out from the back and employ the use of high lines in order to sustain pressure, the importance of the modern day goalkeeper has never been this high.

images from totalfootballanalysis.com