Goalkeepers - general chat

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NorthernSpur

NorthernSpur

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A thread for all general comments about goalkeepers.

To kick off I was wondering why goalkeepers rarely seem to distribute the ball with their hands anymore? I grew up with Peter Schmeichel throwing the ball a reasonable percentage of the time and with high accuracy. It just seems an easier way to distribute and control the power too. Any theories about this?
 
Even if it is a Heurelho Gomes throw the ball is going to spend some time in the air, in that time the guy receiving will be put under pressure. That would be my theory.

I guess they prefer to roll it out now to keep possession otherwise kick it to get it as far as possible up field.
 
Jenny Talia said:
Even if it is a Heurelho Gomes throw the ball is going to spend some time in the air, in that time the guy receiving will be put under pressure. That would be my theory.

I guess they prefer to roll it out now to keep possession otherwise kick it to get it as far as possible up field.
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There’s a greater tendency to play out from the back. Keepers are a lot more comfortable with their feet than they were even 10 years ago.

That will be part of the explanation but perhaps not all of it.
 
I guess as it’s because that it’s become the norm that keepers are being trained to be proficient with their feet and being an intergrated part of the teams general possession strategy, there’s less need for it.
 
NorthernSpur said:
LeParisien LeParisien TeamSpirit™ TeamSpirit™ - Yes, I agree that being better with their feet will definitely be part of the equation. I don't think throwing necessarily results in losing the ball either though.
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Throwing the ball always seemed an effective weapon on the counter attack. I’m speculating but maybe teams are wiser to transitions now. Definitely the big trend in elite football since 2010 or so has been the importance of transitions / turnovers. Now when a corner breaks down, there aren’t the same spaces to exploit with a long throw?
 
Guido 🇺🇦 said:
One for you Blakey bus-conductor bus-conductor


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Proud Of You Yes GIF
 
Guido 🇺🇦 said:
One for you Blakey bus-conductor bus-conductor


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It could be because more takers are willing to go down the middle.

I played goalkeeper professionally (last in 2014) and always said that high and down the middle is the most unsaveable penalty. If it’s waist height or lower, many keepers can use their trailing leg to kick it out.

Sure a keeper can stand still, but then he’s getting beat 100% of the time on a shot to either side (besides a miss). Plus most keepers are probably afraid of standing still and looking like idiots.
 
bonaspur23 said:
It could be because more takers are willing to go down the middle.

I played goalkeeper professionally (last in 2014) and always said that high and down the middle is the most unsaveable penalty. If it’s waist height or lower, many keepers can use their trailing leg to kick it out.

Sure a keeper can stand still, but then he’s getting beat 100% of the time on a shot to either side (besides a miss). Plus most keepers are probably afraid of standing still and looking like idiots.
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Not so. I used to take penalties, school/club. Keepers diving (especially early) were always easier to read and beat.

Unless a pen is hit hard and right to the side/corner (which even if a keeper dives isn’t going to save anyway) keepers are better waiting and reacting to the kick, as many pens go central or too close to central.

The research seems to have finally caught up with BC.
 
bus-conductor said:
Not so. I used to take penalties, school/club. Keepers diving (especially early) were always easier to read and beat.

Unless a pen is hit hard and right to the side/corner (which even if a keeper dives isn’t going to save anyway) keepers are better waiting and reacting to the kick, as many pens go central or too close to central.

The research seems to have finally caught up with BC.
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At a professional level, there is an absolute zero chance of saving anything not directly down the middle if you are waiting and reacting to the kick. The ball is literally in the net by the time you’ll move.

Are keepers leaving too early is a valid debate. But you can’t wait until the ball is struck and try to react to it. A firm pass to the corner would score 100 out of 100 times against even a professional keeper.
 
Two other notable differences are

1) keepers can’t leave their line anymore if VAR is calling it. Refs doing this by the naked eye typically only call it if it’s blatant.

2) Player run ups are a bunch of bullshit nowadays and totally mess with keepers timing.
 
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