Shot-stopper to playmaker - how role of the goalkeeper has evolved
2025-01-08
Category: sports

For many years the role of the goalkeeper was to keep the ball out of their net and then get it as far up the pitch as possible.But over the past decade their duties have steadily evolved.They are now heavily involved in a team's tactical play - drawing in the press, luring in the opposition and opening space further up the pitch for their team-mates to exploit.From Pep Guardiola's influence to changes in the laws of the game, the goalkeeper has progressed from being a shot-stopper to also being key playmakers in a team's attack.
From long balls to playing out from the back
It is well documented that the arrival of Manchester City boss Guardiola to the Premier League coincided with the increase in popularity of a ball-playing goalkeeper.One of his first actions was to replace Joe Hart with Claudio Bravo, before bringing in Ederson in the summer of 2017.The Brazil goalkeeper, who had been an outfield player as a youngster, was brought in largely because of his excellent passing ability and comfort with the ball at his feet.With Ederson in goal, Manchester City won a first Premier League title under Guardiola in 2017-18 after amassing a record-breaking 100 points.The statistics suggest that from then, playing out from the back was becoming more popular with the percentage of goal-kicks landing in the opposition half - which had not deviated from about 75% for a number of seasons - dropping to 67.8% the following season.It has continued to drop after that, although there was another reason that had a significant contribution.
For 2019-20, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) introduced a new rule allowing goalkeepers to pass the ball to team-mates inside their penalty area from goal-kicks, having previously only been allowed to pass outside the box.At the time, the body said this change would result in "a faster and more dynamic/constructive restart to the game" that would "reduce time lost/wasted", suggesting it would cut down on defenders time wasting by playing the ball before it leaves the area - knowing it would result in the goal-kick being retaken.The rule was buried among several other changes, suggesting the lawmakers perhaps didn't quite anticipate the impact it would have.But since then goal-kicks have got shorter and shorter, and now it is common to see two centre-backs standing alongside the goalkeeper inside their own area in preparation to build an attack.It is even happening lower down the English football ladder, with the number of goal-kicks ending in their own half in the Championship now around the same as in the Premier League."Coaches have recognised that they can harness the opposition's enthusiasm against them," former Manchester City goalkeeper Karen Bardsley told BBC Sport."This can be done by utilising deeper starting positions from centre-backs, full-backs or midfielders. "Enabled by the rule change around goal-kicks, we have started to see these passes in the box to try to draw the opposition's press - it can be loads of them, or maybe just a few, to entice opposition players to an area, a side, or to commit more players even higher."Additionally, in response to the high-pressing approach, some teams are allowing players to stay high in the opposition's backline, which forces the opposition's midfield to make a decision."
What is every Premier League team doing from goal-kicks?
The vast majority of teams in the Premier League are going short from their goal-kicks most of the time, with 11 of the 20 teams playing at least 50% of them inside their own area, and 17 of the 20 playing most of them in their own half.Premier League leaders Liverpool play 85% of their goal-kicks into their half, with Guardiola's Manchester City having a similar figure of 83%. But there are perhaps some surprising takes from the figures. As the above graphic shows, Arsenal - for years seen as playing a progressive, attractive style of football - are just as happy to go long with their goal-kicks as they are short, with roughly half of them ending in the opposition half.In contrast, the Gunners' fierce rivals Tottenham have, somewhat incredibly, gone long with just four of their 145 goal-kicks so far this season.Meanwhile, surprise packages Nottingham Forest - sitting third in the Premier League - are also bucking the trend with their goal-kicks, with 60% of them being sent into the opposition half. It is a tactic that, while at odds with the rest of the Premier League, is working for them with resurgent 33-year-old striker Chris Wood providing them with an effective outlet for the long ball.
Risk versus reward - why do teams mostly play it short?
When a goalkeeper hits the ball long the success of it is very dependent on their team-mates picking up the second ball, otherwise possession is quickly conceded to the opponent.Playing out from the back means the team with the ball is in control of play, but obviously there is more of the pitch to cover and more opposition players to play through.Depending on the set up of the opposition, there are a variety of tactics a team can employ from a goal-kick.Playing it short draws the opponent towards the attacking team's defenders which, in turn, creates space behind them. If the attacking team is able to successfully exploit it they can very quickly get up the pitch, with their opponents out of shape, and create a chance on goal.Aston Villa did this to great effect against Manchester City on 21 December, with the ball taking just 14 seconds to go from the feet of goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez to the back of the opposition net for their first goal in a 2-1 victory.
Brighton also notably went from goalkeeper to goal in less than 30 seconds to spark their 3-2 comeback win against Tottenham in October.The Seagulls play 75% of their goal-kicks inside their own half and have had some great success with that tactic this campaign.When it works it looks great, but when it doesn't it can look really bad.Southampton got out of the Championship by building from the back but have struggled to make it work against higher-quality opposition.Against Chelsea on 4 December they conceded a needless goal when goalkeeper Joe Lumley, having come out of his own area with the ball, attempted to pass to a team-mate who was under immediate pressure and the result was Christopher Nkunku being able to score into an empty net.While going long is not utilised as often as it used to be, it remains a viable option if the opposition is working their press well - or have been drawn so high up that gaps are left at the back.Manchester City are seen as one of the best sides for playing out from the back but they still know when going long is effective, and that in part accounts for Ederson having the most assists as a goalkeeper in the Premier League with four.Against Brentford in September, he effectively wiped out the Bees midfield and defence with a brilliant ball over the top for Erling Haaland, who then burst through to score.
Old and new - Arsenal are mixing it up
While Southampton have made some high-profile errors trying to play out from the back, they are not alone.In the past decade, the number of high turnovers - when a team gains possession in the opposition half of the pitch - resulting in goals has almost doubled.Turnovers are not always the result of a mistake by the other team, but they will certainly be playing their part - as the Saints and others are finding out.As highlighted earlier in this article, Arsenal - in contrast to many other teams at the top end of the table - have not been afraid to send a large amount of their goal-kicks long.
That, in part, is because of David Raya. The Gunners signed him from Brentford - initially on a season-long loan in August last year - before making it permanent this summer, because of his ability with the ball at his feet.But at Brentford, Raya was also an effective weapon with the accuracy of his long-range passes. He created nine secondary chances - the pass before the pass that creates a shot - in his final season, more than any other goalkeeper.With 6ft 4in (1.93m) Kai Havertz to aim for, coupled with the Germany forward's strong hold-up play, it provides an effective alternative when the Gunners are trying to beat the opposition press.But their high long-ball statistics may in part be because captain Martin Odegaard spent two months injured earlier in the season.The midfielder is a hugely important part of the way Arsenal play, with his ability to receive the ball at his feet, turn and progress it up the pitch quickly. It meant the Gunners could play the ball short from the goal-kick, work it to Odegaard in the middle and build attacks. In Arsenal's opening game of the season - a 2-0 win against Wolves in which Odegaard started - the top three players Raya passed to were defenders Gabriel, William Saliba and midfielder Thomas Partey (five passes to each).
But in the first game Arsenal were without Odegaard - the 1-0 win against Tottenham on 15 September - the Gunners changed their goal-kick tactics, with Raya instead finding striker Havertz with the majority of his passes (10).
While Arsenal are not, it would appear, bringing long-ball football back, their tactical switch in the absence of Odegaard highlights how teams make the most of their available resources and are prepared to be flexible in their bid to gain an advantage over their opponent.Be it playing the ball short or hitting it long, the use of the goalkeeper is now more crucial than ever to gaining an edge."Goal-kicks have become a game of cat and mouse," added Bardsley."Teams are saying, 'OK, if you are going to do that, and press us high, then we are going to do this. Do you still feel like that's the right decision?'"Additional reporting by Chris Bevan.Data analysis by Andrew Bassett.Graphics by Andrew Dicks.