Goalkeeper explosiveness from the set position and goal prevention

During FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023™, the percentage of team performances that resulted in clean sheets increased by 11% compared to FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019™. In addition, the percentage of matches where at least one of the teams kept a clean sheet, increased from 60% in the 2019 competition to 70% in 2023.  

According to Nadine Angerer, “Teams are more organised and structured when they are defending so this is a contributory factor in the rise in the number of clean sheets but also, the goalkeepers are getting better in their physical abilities. They are more athletic, explosive and have better positioning. In this tournament, we also saw that goalkeepers’ saving techniques have improved because of not just their physicality and fast decision-making, but also they are in the set position earlier and more often.”

The set position is a crucial stance in goalkeeping and is an indication of their readiness to explode into goal-saving action or to quickly adjust based on the movement of the ball. When a goalkeeper is set, they have both feet on the ground (front foot contact, not heels), their feet are shoulder-width apart, and they have a strong upper body frame and arms in the ready position. Being in this stance means they can react sharply on either side and therefore have more variability in how they respond to the attempt at goal. Both feet and both hands can readily be used when in the set position. In addition, if the ball is played elsewhere, the goalkeeper can quickly use foot patterns from this stance to adjust their position and ready themselves again. 

The data collected by our Football Performance Insights team indicates that being in the set position prior to an attempt at goal increases a goalkeeper’s chance of making a save by more than 20%. During this tournament, goalkeepers were in the set position 87% of the time when facing an attempt at goal, compared to 73% in 2019.

Pascal Zuberbühler explains the importance of the set position. 

“It is a massive advantage for the goalkeeper to be set because they can explode off either foot to make a save. The goalkeeper must read the situation, get set in the right moment and then execute the right saving technique.”

In 2023, 98% of attempts at goal from outside the penalty were saved. During this tournament, goalkeepers faced an average of 1.4 attempts at goal from outside the area (per 30 minutes in possession), the same as in 2019, yet the save percentage against these attempts rose by 8.9%. The save rates of 65% for attempts at goal from inside the penalty area remained consistent with those in 2019.  

The physical height of a goalkeeper is not a criterion that influences their positioning in space for potential attempts at goal from range. The trend in the women’s game is similar to that which we see in the men’s game, whereby goalkeepers are closer to the goal line (under 1 meter) to close the depth angle for the attacking player with the ball.  

“The goalkeeper’s positioning therefore is important, and we saw real improvements in this during World Cup 2023. The goalkeepers were much more aware of where the threats were coming from, and of their positioning in relation to those threats. Being set earlier and their athleticism also contributed to this high (98%) save percentage rate from attempts at goal from outside the penalty area,” she explained.

Our Technical Study Group have selected five clips below that show great examples of goalkeepers being set prior to making big saves. 

In clip 1, Australia goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold (18) saves an attempt at goal from outside the penalty area. Her starting position is close to her goal line, and she is in the set position prior to making a diving, left-handed save. Originally, she wanted to make the save with her right hand, but her explosive action to push off from the set position and her strong, straight body line when in the air mean she can use her left hand to get a strong, diversionary contact with the ball.

In clip 2, England goalkeeper Mary Earps (1) makes an impressive foot-block save after her defensive line is breached. She starts in a high position and correctly decides to stay and defend her goal when the ball is played in behind her defensive line, because left centre-back Jess Carter (16) has tracked the attacker with the ball. Earps has adopted the set position at her near post when the ball is played inside to Roseline Éloissaint (11), whose first touch takes her clear of England’s nearest defender, Millie Bright (6), leaving her 1v1 with goalkeeper Earps. Recognising that her defenders can no longer affect the situation, Earps advances slightly to make her goal smaller and gets set. When the attacker doesn’t shoot first time, she takes another step forward (defending the space) and gets set again before saving with her left foot. If she did not advance from her original position, she could not have made this save.  

In clip 3, against Italy, South Africa goalkeeper Kaylin Swart (1) makes an impressive save at the near post after her defensive line is breached. Starting in a high position, and connected to her high defensive line, she retreats towards her goal line as Italy advance towards the final third. As soon as the decisive through pass is played, Swart immediately recognises that her defenders are eliminated from the situation, and she advances from her set position towards Italy striker Valentina Giacinti (9) to narrow the shooting angles available to her. Swart makes a crucial intervention at close range before immediately recovering to her feet as her team transitions to attack.

In clip 4, Sweden goalkeeper Zećira Mušović (1) makes an outstanding reaction save from USA captain Lindsey Horan (10). As the play develops and switches from one side of the pitch to the other, we can see how Mušović alternates between getting set and using footwork patterns to reposition in relation to the movement of the ball. If you pause the clip on 0:16 seconds you can clearly see that she is in the set position at the moment Horan strikes the ball at goal, allowing to her push off the ground explosively and make the diving save.

In clip 5, Japan goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita (1) makes an outstanding reaction save from a free header that occurs seven metres from her goal line. As Norway winger Caroline Graham Hansen (10) advances and beats the defender, Yamashita immediately gets set at the near post (0:10 seconds). As the ball travels to the far post and then comes back in centrally, she is constantly scanning to take in information, and adjusts her footwork before immediately getting set in the centre of her goal, and makes an explosive reactionary save just underneath her crossbar to deny Karina Sævik (9). 

The increase in clean sheets at FIFA World Cup 2023 comes down to a number of factors which include: 

• Organised and collective team defending;

• Improved physical attributes and abilities of goalkeepers;

• Being in the set position earlier and more often; and

• Improved positioning and re-positioning in relation to the movement of the ball. 

While many demands are now placed on the modern goalkeeper, goal prevention remains the key objective and the improved standard of goalkeeping was reflected in the high-quality saves and interventions made during this tournament. Increased contact time with goalkeeper coaches and investment in goalkeeper development is evident when the standard of goalkeeping in FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 is compared with previous tournaments.