We are running out of ball-playing goalkeepers
08 August 2024
I do not know what the tactic is, but someone needs to create a strategy that does not require you to have a ball-playing goalkeeper. The team that does that will be unstoppable in the transfer market.
Teams are having to shop for unicorns. The pool of skilled goalkeepers was already tiny, but goalkeepers who excel at both playing the ball with their feet and saving shots are ultra-rare. And then the majority of that pool of ultra-rare goalkeepers are normally average shot-stoppers. Manuel Neuer is the only goalkeeper I can think of who is above average in both categories. He is one of a kind; he is a unicorn; you must sign him and never let him go.
Before, the goalkeeper did not need to find passes between the lines, pass under pressure, or have a good first touch. They kicked it long the second they received the ball. Every attribute point was put into saving shots.
If you are a young player and you are good with your feet, why would you want to sit in goal watching the game? Unless you have the mindset of Guglielmo Viacrio, you would want to be an outfield player.
Will we wait years for every goalkeeper to be trained to become better at passing, or will we create a tactic that will enable us to not rely on having a ball-playing goalkeeper that would allow us to keep the same dynamic we currently have, where the ball is played through the center of the pitch on the ground?
We ran out of large target men and replaced them, and now they are making a comeback. Will we replace the ball-playing goalkeepers?
2025
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2024
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