Role of the goalkeeper

In the case of teams such as Spain, Brazil and Germany, the man between the sticks was actively involved in the sides’ build-up play and virtually operated as an outfield player to help to create numerical superiority when the opposition applied a high press. These teams’ shot-stoppers demonstrated fine technical ability when playing the ball to and receiving it from their defenders and switching play from one side of the pitch to the other. Deploying the goalkeeper as the focal point when building out from the back proved essential to these sides’ efforts to successfully overcome the opposition’s press and progress up the pitch. 

As for teams such as Côte d’Ivoire and Egypt, their goalkeepers tended to launch long balls that aimed to pick out their attacking players, whilst bypassing the defence and midfield in the process. The teams that adopted this strategy placed great emphasis on winning aerial duels and second balls. If the pass from the goalkeeper was successful, it meant that these teams had instantly overcome the press applied by the opposition’s midfield and attacking players and found themselves in more advanced areas. However, as high-trajectory long balls are harder to control and enable opposing players to compete for the ball in a contested state, the pass success rate relating to this form of distribution is significantly lower than the short passes played when building out from the back. 

The fact that high defensive lines are the favoured set-up in the modern game means that passes in behind defences are a common feature. As a result, it is crucial that goalkeepers possess a sound command of the space between themselves and the defensive line in front of them. This spatial awareness assists them when deciding whether to come out to collect a ball that has been played in behind or wait for the defenders to recover. Spain’s Unai Simón demonstrated outstanding ability in this department in the latest edition of the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament, in which his decision-making was solid throughout whilst he regularly offered his defence reassurance.