Goalkeeper’s decision-making and positioning when defending the space

Whenever an attacking side threatens to breach the goalkeeper’s defensive line, the ‘keeper has three options. They can either come off the goal-line to defend the space inside and outside the penalty area, stay on their line to protect the goal, or position themselves to support their defender as they engage the attacking player in possession. The goalkeeper’s decision must be based on the position of their nearest defender in relation to the attacking player.  

Obviously, the relationship and understanding between defenders and goalkeepers in these situations is very important, and that understanding comes from training together, as Nadine Angerer explains:

“The goalkeeper must read the situation and see where the nearest defender is to understand what the threat is. Does the player in the possession have pressure on them, does the goalkeeper need to drop [back towards the goal] or can they advance? Depending on the situation, the goalkeeper must constantly assess and adjust their positioning. 

“Communication between the defender and goalkeeper is also hugely important, if they are coming [to claim the ball] or staying [on the goal line], they need to vocalise that. The understanding and knowledge of what the defender and goalkeeper will do in different situations is crucial, and this comes from the work done in training and in playing a lot of games together. The trust between them is paramount, as defenders and goalkeepers learn each other's strengths and preferences in different situations by training and playing together.”  

Option 1: Come out to defend the space

If the attacking player has got past the defender and is moving into space, the goalkeeper needs to come out to narrow the angle, make the goal as small as possible, and defend the space the attacker is running into. At the same time, any defenders able to recover their positions can race back to provide extra cover, including behind the goalkeeper and close to the goal.

Option 2: Stay on your line and defend the goal

If the defender is still engaging the attacking player on the ball, but there is a good chance that the attacker could produce an attempt on goal, the goalkeeper should stay and defend the goal, trusting their defender to stop the attack or to cancel out the attacking player’s next move. 

Option 3: Support the defender

If the defender is engaging the attacking player on the ball and it is unlikely that the attacker will be able to get a shot away, the goalkeeper can position themselves as an extra defender and make an offer to receive the ball from their team-mate when they win the ball back. 

The clips below give three examples of goalkeepers making the right decisions to protect their goals, as former Switzerland goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbühler explains.

Cata Coll (ESP): defending the space outside the penalty area 

In our first clip, Spain goalkeeper Cata Coll (23) makes the decision to come off her line to defend the space outside her penalty area, snuffing out a dangerous Swedish attack. 

“In this situation, we see that Sweden have a throw-in just inside their own half and Spain are playing with a very high line,” observes Zuberbühler.  “Their goalkeeper, [Catalina] Coll, is also high [up the pitch], 25 metres from her defensive line and connected with [the rest of] her team.  

If you pause the clip at 0:11, you can see that as soon as the ball is played into midfield, Spain are in a vulnerable position; Coll can see that a good through pass in behind [her defence] could set the Sweden striker through into space. Also, it is possible for the player in possession to make an attempt at goal because Coll is far out [from her goal], but this is a risk the goalkeeper was prepared to take in order to protect the space. When the through pass is played, the Sweden attacker gets ahead of Spain’s last defender, and immediately Coll makes the decision to come [out] and defend the space. She shows courage in this situation and clears the ball. She could not have made this intervention if her starting position had been further back, so her connection with her team when they were playing a high line was crucial.”

Catalina Pérez (COL): defending the space inside the penalty area 

Zuberbühler picked out the second clip because of the decision by Colombia goalkeeper Catalina Pérez (1) to come off her line and defend the space inside her penalty area. 

“In this clip we see how Pérez is positioned at the edge of her penalty area when Morocco regain possession just inside their own half. If we pause the clip at 0:09, we can see clearly that Colombia’s defensive line arevulnerable to a ball in behind. At this stage, Pérez has dropped into her penalty area, but she is still 11 metres from her goal line and connected to her team. As soon as the ball is played in behind her defensive line, she recognises that the attacking player will reach the ball before her defenders. Her reaction is decisive and explosive, as she accelerates with pace and power towards the ball before claiming it at the feet of the attacker. This is an excellent response to a dangerous situation, and it is made possible by her starting position, that connection with her team, and the speed of her decision.”

Gaëlle Thalmann (SUI): Supporting the defender in a 1v1

In our final example, Gaëlle Thalmann decides to position herself so that she can support her defender, who is engaged in a 1v1.

“We see straight away that she is high up, 13 metres from her goal and connected to her team,” Zuberbühler notes. “The attacker with the ball is coming around her defender and into the space behind, but she [Thalmann] can see that her defender is in a good position on the inside, so she moves to offer to receive the ball. Before receiving the ball, she quickly scans the pitch and decides about where to pass the ball before she receives it. Even after she passes the ball, she moves so that she is in a position to receive it again, acting as a support player for her defender in possession. This is a good example of the game awareness that Thalmann has. She understands that she does not need to come away from her goal in this situation, because she reads the situation with her defender very well. She is very connected with her team.” 

When a team’s defensive line is breached or under threat, the goalkeeper must pay particular attention to the position of their nearest defender and that defender’s proximity to the attacker with the ball. The goalkeeper’s position relative to their goal line and their defence is also a key factor in their ability to defend the space. In light of this, it is difficult to overstate the importance of trust, understanding and good communication between goalkeepers and defenders, all of which are built by on the training ground and by playing matches together.