If your team is only functional when you have the best ball-playing goalkeeper in the world, that is a problem worth solving because that type of goalkeeper is ultra rare. Embrace the long ball or be left behind by the teams that don’t concede goals.

All is well when you find that unicorn goalkeeper that can be both a decent shot stopper and a one-of-one world-class irreplaceable ball-playing goalkeeper.

All is well when you have an unlimited budget to scout and sign that gem, that needle in a haystack, one-of-one.

As a kid, if you are a good passer and good with your feet, why would you want to become a goalkeeper? That is the problem. The pool of goalkeepers who are sick in the head and who like being in goal even though they are gifted with their feet—that pool of players is minuscule. They normally get dragged out of goal to play other positions as kids.

I’m a simple guy. A goalkeeper should be good at saving the ball. Other than Manuel Neuer, I can’t name a ball-playing goalkeeper that sustained world-class-level shot-stopping for more than two consecutive seasons.

And no, don’t name goalkeepers who are just good with their feet and known for passing. I’m talking about the tight spaces, short passing ability, and even dribbling ability.

In the Premier League, I think the level of the lower teams has risen to a point where you are going to face a lot of shots. You need a goalkeeper who can stop those shots. If the goalkeeper is not saving those shots, you likely aren’t scoring two goals a game, you’re losing games, and you’re sacked.

The teams at the top are signing taller goalkeepers. Liverpool signed Giorgi Mamardashvili. Manchester City has signed James Trafford and is reported to be in negotiations to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma. Chelsea has Robert Sanchez.

The league is trending taller in every position, except for a few edge cases in midfield or academy players. Sesko at Manchester United, Ekitike at Liverpool, Haaland at Manchester City, Havertz at Arsenal, and Isak at Newcastle. Defenses are getting taller; have you seen the defender Liverpool just signed?

Tall trees in goal, tall trees in defense, tall trees in midfield, tall trees in attack, everywhere.

I am a massive proponent for short goalkeepers. David Raya is one of my favorite goalkeepers, and he’s as tall as Iker Casillas but better with his feet. You can be short and be a world-class goalkeeper. Height is overrated in the majority of cases. I would take superior reflexes, positioning, and IQ over height any day. For the purposes of defending against corners and reach, being tall makes things easier. It’s a sad factor of life.

Tall goalkeepers historically are not great in tight spaces; shorter passing is their weakness. If you can find a tall goalkeeper who is good with their feet in small spaces, protect them at all costs and pay whatever the other team wants; they are one in a million.

If you can’t, if the league trends taller, you have to sign a tall goalkeeper. If the tall goalkeeper is not good with their feet, adapt the team to them. It’s worth the pain to change to avoid conceding.