Goalkeeping distribution styles

When observing the group stages of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup 2022™, our Technical Study Group noted varying distribution styles across the 16 teams.

In the FIFA Football Language, the goalkeeper distribution styles come in five different formats: 

• Around
• Through
• Into
• Onto 
• Beyond

Pascal Zuberbühler is FIFA's senior goalkeeping expert and he observed the group stages of the tournament. Here, he gives his thoughts on the demands of the modern goalkeeper and the increasing need for them to master all styles of distribution.

The modern goalkeeper has become vital to their team's capacity to build up play. They receive and make more passes than in previous times, something that is reflected in the number of distributions the goalkeepers in this tournament were executing. 

Reflecting on the group stages our data shows Kim, of Korea Republic, attempted the most distributions per 90 minutes (40) with a success rate of 62%. The Netherlands' goalkeeper, Lisan Alkemade, executed 38 distributions per 90 minutes, but crucially had an 83% success rate. 

When it comes to successful line breaks, Kim again tops the ranking, executing 9.5 per 90 minutes,while France's Marie Petiteau was runner up with 8.4 per 90 minutes.

For distribution around the opposition team shape, Mia Justus of the USA was ranked number one in the tournament after the group stages. These are safer passes and are often unopposed, as is reflected in the very high success percentages.

Playing through is a far riskier pass for a goalkeeper to execute, as it involves breaking the forward line of the opposition defence.

In the group stages of the competition, only five goalkeepers attempted to play through. They were Brazil's Barbieri (1.4 per 90 minutes), James of Australia (1.0 per 90 minutes), Kassen of Germany (0.6 per 90 minutes), Costa Rica's Genesis Perez (0.6 per 90 minutes), and Alkemade of the Netherlands (0.3 per 90 minutes).

Playing into a team-mate involves playing a lofted pass over the forward line of opposition players, where they can take a touch to control the ball before their next action. Often this pass is played to full-backs or wing-backs or can be played into a player who is between the units of the opposition team.

Korea Republic goalkeeper Kim executed 6.3 passes per 90 minutes into her team-mates, succeeding in 62% of those she attempted. France's Marie Petiteau also ranked high in the execution of this distribution style, with 5.4 per 90 minutes and an 82% success rate in those she attempted.

Playing onto a team-mate is a longer ball, over an opposition line with the intention of being contested with an aerial duel. Because of the distances involved, success rates for passes onto are generally lower than shorter distribution styles.

Korea Republic goalkeeper Kim topped the rankings after the group stage with 20 per 90 minutes and a success rate of 36% of those attempted ,while Petiteau of France was ranked second, executing 18 per 90 minutes. 

The longest pass that a goalkeeper can play is beyond the opposition's defensive line. These passes are mostly kicked from the goalkeeper's hands at U-20 women's national team level and are competed for through aerial duels.

Because of the longer distances that passes must travel, the accuracy level is generally low but the observations of our TSG indicated that goalkeepers do not play many of these in games.

Those observations were supported by the data collected by our Football Analysis and Insights Team with only one goalkeeper playing more than 2.0 of these passes per 90 mins during the group stages of the competition. The Netherlands' goalkeeper Lisan Alkemade played 4.0 passes per 90 minutes beyond.