Thursday, 15 August 2013
As a goalkeeper myself it's hard to see goalkeepers getting showered with praise one minute, only to be shot down with criticism the next. If you look in the grand scheme of things, the Premier League is full of world-class goalkeepers that often go un-noticed. Between the sticks is possible the most difficult position to play, and you're often left with the blame of conceding a goal. With so many different aspects to the position, we look over each of them, and see how to make the perfect goalkeeper.
Shot Stopping
The most simple goalkeeping skill, yet often the most impressive. Being able to hold on to shots, or at least parry them away, is key, especially when you're faced by world class finishers like Suarez, Van Persie or Michu. For this asset, I picked Manchester United's David De Gea. The young Spaniard is having a wail of a time in the Premier League right now, and at the moment he hasn't conceded for over 630 minutes of game play. Despite looking shaky when he joined United, he seems to have finally adapted to the English game. When he signed, we all realised that De Gea was a fantastic shot-stopper, and he was just uneasy to watch when dealing with high balls are so on. His mass improvement has seen him hit some major highs this season, including a call-up to the Spanish national team.
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| Wonder Save: Who can forget the save De Gea made from Mata's free kick? Was this the turning point for him? |
Now this is possible the hardest area of goalkeeping to master. With an attacker running at you, at full pace, with the ball at his feet, get the timing wrong by the tenth of a second and it's a penalty, and probably a straight red. Timing and accuracy is everything, and I've seen none better than Tottenham's Hugo Lloris. A particularly big name signing for Spurs in the summer, it came as quite a shock to some. Infamous for being the keeper to end Brad Friedel's run of 310 consecutive appearances, fans and pundits seem to have forgotten that as they look on at a fine French keeper. He's a keeper with pace too, making the one-on-ones even easier as he's out and at the striker's feet in no time at all. Tottenham have conceded a few penalties this season, but none of the fouls were committed by the brave Lloris, who has eyes only for the ball each and every time he dives at the feet of an oncoming attacker.
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| Bravery: Lloris is never scared when putting his head amongst the studs. |
This is almost a win-win situation for goalkeepers - as long as you don't concede it yourself of course. If the player scores from a penalty then it's fine, no one expects you to save it, and if you do it's just an added bonus. However, being able to save them is still something that can be key to a team should he be faced by one. There were so many potential names on the shortlist, like De Gea, Cech or Szczesny - but the one who tops it for me, is Mark Schwarzer. Whenever faced with a penalty, 40-year-old Schwarzer never seems to be panicked by the situation, and acting calm under pressure, often keeps them out. Many commentators claim keepers "guess" which way to go, but there is so much more to it than that. In a split second, it's possible to tell which way the spot-kick taker is going to go, but margins are fine. Somehow, Schwarzer is able to do this successfully a lot of the time. Another classic keeper who's mastered this technique is former Liverpool and Manchester City shot-stopper David James.
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| Saviour: The 40-year-old Australian is a god-send when his team concede a spot-kick. |
Being an agile goalkeeper means you can make the most breath-taking saves imaginable, and it's been something many managers look for in goalkeepers. Should Edwin Van Der Sar still be playing he'd have topped the list, as he often displayed phenomenal agility to make some unbelievable stops. While Ben Foster came a close second, Swansea's bargain keeper Michel Vorm is who wins it for me. Although he hasn't been able to show the form he did last season, Vorm is still a quality keeper and his agility can sometimes be unbelievable. He earned credibility last season after arriving at Swansea as a rather unknown name, but that quickly changed. He's now being snooped around by the likes of Barcelona and Arsenal, and most of the Dutchman jaw-dropping saves are down to his impeccable agility.
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| Unstoppable: Vorm seems to be able to reach shots to the most spectacular standards. |
Yet another important area of goalkeeper, dealing with high balls can be the fine margin between a clean sheet and conceding. This was one of David De Gea's particular weaknesses last season, and was cleverly targeted by opposition. Although he's improved, it's Chelsea's Petr Cech who claims victory in this area. Obviously his height is key, standing at 6' 5", the hero in the helmet finds it easy to get above attackers at corners and free kick. He's got a good punch on him too, just in case the ball is too difficult to handle, and being able to deal with every situation is key. After suffering a head and brain injury, Cech's future in the game was doubted. He was hospitalised for ten days, and to this day he has no memory of the injury. Despite being advised to stay out of the game for a year, Cech returned three months later with a scrum cap on, and seems to be playing stronger than ever at the moment.
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| High Rise: Cech towers above his fellow team-mates and attackers to get the ball to safety. |
Getting the ball out accurately can be the difference between scoring and not. With the pace of the game forever rising, a quick counter attack seems to be more deadly than ever, and it can all start with the quality of the ball from the keeper. While De Gea and Joe Hart both come close, it's Liverpool's first choice keeper José Pepe Reina. Throwing or booting the ball upfield, Reina completes his passes with pin-point precision and with a man like Luiz Suarez upfront, it creates goal after goal. You can see the difference when Brad Jones gets the call up if Reina happens to be injured, they counter attack doesn't seem to be as deadly when the ball played up isn't as accurate. It's a shame Reina never broke through in to the Spain squad, with the likes of Casillas and Valdes competing for the same position, but the Liverpool man's style of play could've really benefited the national side.
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| Pin-Point: Reina's accuracy has been the starting point of many Liverpool goals over the years. |
What do you think? Who's your favourite goalkeeper, and why?
