Goalkeeper the position that keeps evolving

Playing out from the back is a saying that has found itself on the end coach’s tongues from under 7s to the premier league. Teams do it in the hope that it draws the opposition in and creates space to attack.  

The position of a goalkeeper is now not who is the better shot stopper, but who is the better with their feet. Teams are so insistent on this that they are willing to drop international goalkeepers for keepers who are more adequate with their feet. Goalkeepers used to wait for the ball to come to the to impact the game, now the game starts from them. 

In this summer’s transfer window, there was only two teams out of the 20 premier league cubs who did not sign a goalkeeper. The turnover of players is due to multiple reasons; one reason is that it is a position where you cannot hide your weaknesses. Nine times out of ten when a goalkeeper makes a mistake, they will concede a goal and due to the riches of the premier league, teams will not hesitate to replace you if they think you may cost them points and subsequent relegation. 

 Most teams in the premier league insist on their goalkeeper playing out from the back. If the keeper cannot do this or is inconsistent then they will be replaced and the conveyer belt of goalkeepers will continue until teams find a goalkeeper who can. Unfortunately, in today’s transfer market the elite ball playing goalkeepers are now prized assets. Out of the top 5 most expensive goalkeeper signings by Premier league teams four out of five were signed because of their ability with their feet. 

Aaron Steavens coaching – Photo credit Ben Pallas

Aaron Steavens is a goalkeeper who currently plays in the Ballers League on Sky Sports whilst also having a goalkeeping coaching business which has over 600k followers across numerous platforms. He told me about some of the principles that academies are instilling into their young goalkeepers, “Now it’s all about you having a high starting position and been able to dribble. There are some clubs now at the minute where they’re asking their under 10s and under 9 goalkeepers to dribble past the striker.” 

Whether you play under 9s or in the premier league, there always be a risk versus reward aspect of playing out from the back, one misplaced pass and you are automatically out of position, and the opposition have a free shot at goal. When a striker misplaces a pass there are 10 people behind him to help him out. When a goalkeeper makes a mistake nine times out of ten, they are punished for the mistake.  

So how do goalkeepers cope with the pressure that one mistake Steavens said: “I think just not being afraid of making mistakes. I think the ones that are like psychologically in the head, like I do not want to mess up here, I do not want to mess that pass up and they’ve already thinking about the mistake. That is where the problem is.” 

Aaron Steavens coaching for his company ASGK- Photo credit Ben Pallas 

In season one of the Ballers League Aaron drafted to sign for Trebol FC alongside Guyana international Kai Mckenzie-Lyle. A goalkeeperstanding 6ft 7 who started his career at Tottenham before moving to Barnet and then to Liverpool academy you would assume he would be a shoe in for the team. However, this was not the case, and Aaron was given the nod due to his superior ability with his feet. Aaron explained “Yeah, so he was an international goalkeeper, I played the first game, and I’d done a couple of training sessions, the coach noticed I was better with my feet. I even made a mistake in the first game, and it is went at me near post and the manager kept me because he knows how good I am with my feet.” 

Over the last five years the position as evolved not just in small, sided games like the Ballers League but also at the highest level. Teams are now asking their goalkeepers to become the 11th outfield player and that they join in with possession. I spoke to Silksworth CW FC goalkeeper Tom Morrison about how training for goalkeepers has changed. Tom said “Training has changed massively: teams use to not have goalkeepers involved in possession-based drills and drills with their feet but now the game has evolved to the point goalkeepers need to be as good with their feet as outfield players. now we join in with most possession drills as we need to as be equipped with our feet as outfield players due to the way our manager wants us to play. Below is a season heat map of RC Strasbourg Alsace goalkeeper Mike Penders which shows the positions he has taken up as a goalkeeper this season.

Mike Penders heat map- screenshot taken from SofaScore

Aaron Steavens coaching- Photo credit Ben Pallas

It is no longer a choice for a keeper if they want to play from the back or boot it long to the striker. With how accessible footage is for teams up and down the pyramid any weaknesses a goalkeeper possesses with the ball will be exploited.

Overall questions linger about what next for goalkeepers. Where does goalkeeping go next? How much risk is too much risk? Steavens gave his opinion on how he thinks the position will change, “I think it could go and switch straight back. So, you look at the throw–in, you look at the throw–ins, so the throw–in got played out. I think it’s going to be soon that everyone’s going to start pressing high, expecting the keepers a play out, and it’s just going to go and turn into which keeper has the longest strike like Ederson (Fenerbahçe Goalkeeper formally of Manchester City), who can kick a ball dead for. It’s going to switch back to that.”