FIFA Insight episode 3: Goalkeeper distribution, positioning and offering - FIFA Training Centre

With 48 games having now been played at FIFA World Cup Qatar™, the TSG's goalkeeping experts Pascal Zuberbühler and Faryd Mondragón unpack a plethora of technical goalkeeping trends emerging in the competition.

The goalkeeper is a unique position on the pitch – so much so that, at times, the way we perceive and analyse goalkeeping has been entirely decoupled from outfield play. However, the tournament in Qatar is continuing to prove that this is not the case in modern football; the goalkeeper is deeply intertwined with the rest of their team, and a 'keeper's performance can only be fully understood by bringing outfield team-mates and the wider game into the picture. In episode three of FIFA Insight, Zuberbühler and Mondragón, in a discussion with FIFA's Group Leader Football Performance Analysis & Insights Chris Loxston, showcase how the goalkeeper's role in build-up play, their positioning in relation to the defensive line, and their variety of distribution are proving significant.

Watch video

Read summary

00:27
Goalkeeper line height
Goalkeepers adopt different positions depending on where the ball is on the pitch, but we see that when the ball is in the middle third, defences have pushed 7m further up the pitch than in 2018, and the average goalkeeping position has pushed up by 4m. This may not sound like much, but as our examples show, it can be the difference between stopping shots and conceding goals.

10:21
The rise of the 'sweeper-keeper'
In past decades, many teams played with a sweeper (also known as a libero) behind the defence. At this World Cup, we have seen that goalkeepers are increasingly playing this role, acting as 'sweeper-keepers.' As our clips show, sweeper-keepers can be very effective, but this is a highly specialised role that requires constant training with the entire squad. The goalkeeper needs to learn to read the game and stay one step ahead of the opposition, while their team-mates need to know instinctively where the goalkeeper will be in relation to their defence.

13:30
Goalkeeper involvement in build-up play
Over recent years, goalkeepers have generally become much more comfortable with the ball at their feet. The data for this area, which is guided by the FIFA Goalkeeping Expert Group's Distribution Framework, reflects this change. The figures indicate that goalkeepers are 'playing around' the opposition more often, as opposed to playing long balls directly 'onto' the strikers. This shows that modern goalkeepers are expected to play a significant role in starting attacks, and to do that, they need to be capable of playing the full range of passes.

Distribution type 1: Play around and support (green zone) - goal kicks played short in the team's own defensive third of the pitch facilitate build-ups that fall into the 'play around and support' category. So far, the tournament in Qatar has seen a 12% increase in this type of distribution when compared to the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018™.

Distribution type 2: Play through (yellow zone) - depending on the nature of the opposing team's press, there may be opportunities for the goalkeeper to 'play through' the opposition’s highest line into a central area.

Distribution type 3: Play into (orange zone) - the goalkeeper may recognise that a high-pressing opponent has left space behind the first line of their press and may have the option to clip balls over this line so they can 'play into' team-mates who have found space between opposition lines 2+3.

Distribution type 4: Play onto (red zone) - similarly, a high-pressing team may also have a deep defensive line, leaving space between their defenders and midfielders. In this situation, there are opportunities for longer passes to 'play onto' forward players who occupy this area. When compared to FIFA World Cup Russia 2018™, this type of distribution has seen a 15% decrease in Qatar.

Distribution type 5: Play beyond (blue zone) - finally, if a team is pressing very high with all lines connected, which means that their defensive line is also high, the goalkeeper can 'play beyond' the opposition’s last line with a long ball.

15:53
Goalkeepers offering to receive the ball
Finally, we have also observed massive increases in the number of times goalkeepers have offered to receive the ball (up 64% since 2018), and in the number of times they have actually received it (up by 100%). This reflects the fact that goalkeepers are expected to act as a focal point for their team's build-up and to show the same level of technical ability on the ball as any other defender. Again, training goalkeepers to perform the role of an eleventh outfielder means integrating them fully into the rest of the squad, and into their team's overall system.