Goalkeeping Edition 85

Welcome to the Goalkeeping Newsletter.  Today’s subject will deal being a sweeper/keeper.

First I would like to ask everyone to check out the new survey (just posted yesterday!) at http://finesoccer.com/survey.htm.  The results from the last survey are also online and the page has been redone for much faster loading.

Too many keepers seem content to stay on their line and be a shot blocker as opposed to really playing the role properly (see http://finesoccer.com/goalkeeping_edition_80.htm) for more on where to stand).  Rather then having a 10-person team plus a keeper, with a better understanding of the sweeper/keeper role, a keeper can add many facets to the game.

When an opposing team plays high pressure against your team, one of the easiest ways to relieve this pressure is to play balls back to the keeper.  When an opposing team plays low pressure against you, one of the easiest ways to spread them back is to pull them out of their bunker by playing balls back to the keeper (notice a pattern here?).  When your team pushes up hard after playing a ball forward, the keeper must go with them (partially) in order to cover the space over the top.  When an early diagonal ball is played into a corner, the keeper must be prepared to win that ball.  When an opponent is pressuring the last defender who is facing her own goal, the keeper must make herself available for the pass back.  As you have probably noticed, in none of these instances does the keeper have the option of using her hands so she MUST be prepared to use her foot skills as if she were any other field player.

What is the best way for a keeper to prepare for this situation?  She should play as much soccer as possible.  When she can’t be in goal, play as a field player (if you have read my views on most indoor soccer, you shouldn’t be surprised to find that I consider indoor soccer to be a great time for keepers to work on their field skills).  Most of the better keepers I have been around have actually been quite adequate field players as well (I do realize I will be hearing from some of these keepers for calling them adequate field players since some of them consider themselves to be much better then adequate but the truth hurts sometimes!).

A keeper also must be prepared to handle bad passes back as well as balls they must play out of the box.  In order to do this, balls should be served into the keepers that aren’t easy to handle and they should practice both bringing these hard to handle balls down to their feet quickly as well as clearing them first time.  One of the keys is the first time clears must be able to be done with either foot.

Also, a keeper must be able to distribute safely and accurately from the keeper/sweeper position.  The last thing a team wants when they play a ball back to their keeper is for her to kick the ball aimlessly downfield (unless, of course, she is under tremendous pressure).  This is where the ability to hit an accurate ball between 20-40 yards is extremely important (and equally important is the ability to know where to hit the ball to).

The ability and knowledge of how to be a sweeper/keeper will make a difference in how successful you are as a keeper now and I believe that in the very near future, it will make a difference in whether you are a keeper or not as it really looks like that is the direction the position is going.  The question for you as a keeper is whether you want to keep up or fall behind?

Any questions, comments or suggestions should be sent to comments@finesoccer.com or posted at http://finesoccer.com/forum.htm

Remember that all previous newsletters are archived at http://finesoccer.com

Have a great day.

Lawrence