Goalkeeper positioning in transition from attack to defence

There are many factors in a game that impact the decision-making process for goalkeepers. As the ball travels towards their penalty area, these change. When the goalkeeper's team is in possession, attacking in the opposition's final third, the goalkeeper's position in relation to their last line of defence is vital.

The goalkeeper has a responsibility at this stage of the game to ensure that they are communicating and organising the players in front of them and that they have a structured defence that can deal with and nullify any potential counter-attack should their team lose the ball and have to transition into defence.

These factors include:

the location of the ball and who is in possession;
the team's ability to put pressure on the ball or slow the attack down when a transition into defence occurs;
the number of defenders v. the number of attackers; and
the body shape of their defenders in relation to the position of the attackers.

The goalkeeper needs to constantly assess when and where their biggest opportunity will be to stop an opposition attack and prevent them from scoring a goal.

During the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2021™, our Technical Study Group identified some examples of different approaches to these types of situations, particularly by Édouard Mendy (Chelsea) and Esteban Andrada (Monterrey).

In this article, we analyse the decisions made and positions taken up by these two goalkeepers during the moments leading up to a transition into defence and the factors that impacted their decision-making processes as the ball approached their penalty area.

Chelsea goalkeeper Édouard Mendy tended to adopt a high position when his team was attacking in the final third. By taking up an advanced position, Mendy was able to cover his defenders and see when the situation was in their favour, enabling him to adjust accordingly.

Example 1

According to Pascal Zuberbühler, "Mendy was able to dominate the space behind his high defensive line, but he also recognised when his defenders had a numerical advantage and made impactful decisions, choosing when to commit and when to drop off".

(1/4) Mendy adopts a high position to cover the space in behind his defensive line.

(2/4) Mendy sees that his defenders are 2v1 against the striker and starts to retreat into his penalty area.

(3/4) Mendy holds his position on the edge of the six-yard box so he can adjust if the ball is played out wide to the advancing attacker.

(4/4) Mendy adjusts his position to protect his near post and to narrow the angle as the advancing attacker receives the ball.

Dropping back allowed Mendy to take up a good position to deal with the next phase of the attack. When the ball was played wide to the additional player joining the attack, Mendy was already set and in the perfect position to deal with the next phase of play.

Mendy's high positioning versus Palmeiras. When Chelsea transition into defence, Mendy is already well situated to defend his goal.

Example 2

In the above situation, Mendy demonstrated excellent decision-making ability when the circumstances favoured his defenders to deal with the situation, but his behaviour and actions were different when he saw that an attacker had the upper hand over his defenders.

When the opponent got in behind the last line, Mendy narrowed the angle by getting closer to the attacker and deciding whether to challenge for the ball, rather than exposing his defenders to a potentially riskier challenge.

(1/3) Mendy's advanced position puts him in command of the main danger area ahead of the advancing attacker.

(2/3) Seeing that one of his defenders (Rüdiger) is in trouble, Mendy continues to advance.

(3/3) When the attacker takes a slightly loose touch, Mendy uses his advanced position to take possession and avert the danger.

As we can see below, as the attack approached the Chelsea penalty box, Mendy chose to hold his advanced position as his defender was in a dangerous 1v1 situation with the attacker goalside in the central channel, and a challenge could be risky.

When put under pressure, the attacker took a loose touch, giving Mendy the opportunity to advance for the ball. His initial advanced position allowed him to capitalise on the loose touch in a split second.

As the attack develops, Mendy holds his advanced position as he recognises the situation his defence is in. The attacker takes a loose touch, allowing Mendy to collect the ball.

Monterrey goalkeeper Esteban Andrada also dominated his whole penalty area from the edge of the six-yard box. Aggressive and brave in his approach, Andrada was never afraid to bear down on strikers to narrow the angle.

(1/3) As the defensive transition occurs, Andrada adopts a high position near the penalty spot.

(2/3) As the ball is played across to the advancing attacker, Andrada gets set centrally, on the edge of his six-yard box, so that he can adjust to the attacker's first touch and be ready to deal with a first-time attempt at goal.

(3/3) When the attacker takes a touch to take the ball into the penalty area, Andrada advances, closing down the angle. Being close to the attacking player makes it easier for him to make a save.

Andrada's advanced starting position allowed him to react quickly and respond to the attacking player's moves. A deeper initial starting position would have increased the shooting opportunities for the attacker and give the opposition an advantage.

Having seen that his defensive line is outnumbered, Andrada holds his position on the edge of his six-yard box. This allows him to advance and close down the shooting space for the striker, making an X-block save.

Footwork - the crucial first step

Another major part of Andrada's game is his ability to constantly be on move and adjust his position as an attack develops. During these moments, the goalkeeper's first step is crucial. If the ball is approaching on the right side, the goalkeeper's first step must be with their right foot. If it is down the left side, it must be the left foot.

Taking the correct first step gives the goalkeeper a potentially vital extra second to react or respond to a situation. In Andrada's case, when his defensive line is not set to defend attacks from out wide, he advances to command the space.

Andrada's advanced position means that he can command the space into which a cross could be played.

When the ball was switched from one side of the pitch to the other, Andrada's footwork is swift and assured, allowing him to take up a position at his near post. By taking his first step with the correct foot, he has time to adjust.

Positional agility and reading the game

As the attack develops on his right, his position leaves the near post open enough so that he can cover danger in that area, but also allows him to adjust to an attack down the middle and to be set for any shots from that area.

According to Zuberbühler, "This ability to switch from goal defending to zonal defending is so impressive. Many goalkeepers can have a good position at one point, but when the point of attack changes, they can't always adjust well to the next situation. Andrada does this brilliantly, however. He can switch from one situation to the next very quickly, which makes him stand out."

Andrada protects his near post, but is open enough to adjust quickly to an attack in the middle after a cutback or lofted cross.

Andrada shifts from his near post to get set centrally and is perfectly positioned to save a shot.

Zuberbühler also noted Andrada's positional agility and his impeccable reading of situations. "It was impressive to watch Andrada and see how he coped when his starting position was out of his comfort zone. He didn't just defend the goal, but his whole penalty area, and he had a really clear relationship with his defensive line. He was brilliant."

In an outstanding display of positional awareness, Andrada consistently moves in relation to the changing point of the attack. He is positioned correctly to deal with and eliminate the imminent danger at all key moments of the attacking phase.

Both Mendy and Andrada are goalkeepers who dominate their penalty area from advanced positions. Their ability to do this enables them to make better decisions and to execute them faster.

The key factors in attacking goalkeeping are:

taking up an advanced starting position;
recognising which team has the numerical advantage;
assessing the body shape of the defenders in relation to the position of the attackers; and
taking the correct first step to adjust to a change in the position of the attack.