Football has undergone great changes over the years as tactics, styles, philosophies, and roles have developed. The modern game has transformed drastically, especially since the 1970s and the advent of “Total Football”. One role that has noticeably evolved is that of the goalkeeper.
Once confined to the penalty box, the goalie now roams more freely, harnessing the skills of an outfield player to present new passing options to the rest of the team, as well as being a crucial component in developing moves from the back of the field.
Of course, the principal role remains the same, and the principal aim is to keep a clean sheet. But the goalkeeper’s duties now extend to being a playmaker, as well as a shot-stopper. Let’s have a closer look at the evolution of the goalkeeper.
Early Goalkeeping
In the early 1900s, the goalkeeper’s role was simple but crucial—to stop the ball from going into the goal. These were the days long before the idea of playing out from the back or ‘tiki-taka’ was on the table, and the goalie was expected to keep out shots and then hoof the ball to the other end of the pitch.
The idea of creative play from number one was out of the question, and goalkeepers rarely left the comparative safety of their penalty box. Most had rudimentary outfield skills at best — much more important were their reflexes, coordination, and positioning.
Gyula Grosics and Lev Yashin
Grosics was a Hungarian goalkeeper, who, with the so-called Hungarian Golden Team of the 1950s, began to redefine the role of a goalkeeper, starting a lineage that can be traced through to the modern day. Hungary’s national team in the 50s played a style almost unrecognizable to other teams of the era — predominantly 4-2-4, but with role rotations. This meant that gaps would open up in defense, which meant that Grosics often had to speed off his line to intercept the ball and break up attacks.
Grosics would also prefer to roll or throw the ball to maintain possession, which was a tactic that greatly influenced one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, Lev Yashin. He took the ‘sweeper-keeper’ style to new heights, happy to fill in as an extra defender, or coming off his line to either thwart an opponent’s move or to set up an attack.
Total Football
Dutch manager Rinus Michels was also watching these goalkeeping pioneers, and he adapted the philosophy into his overall system of ‘Total Football’. This required all players to essentially be interchangeable, creating a new level of dynamism on the field. Again, the goalkeeper was to be able to play as an extra defender and was called on to be an intrinsic part of launching moves, rather than simply a last line of defence.
Total football ushered in a new era, and its philosophy still informs much of the tactics and training involved in elite football. The goalkeeper’s training regimen can be compared to that of an outfield player, except for many drills for shot-stopping, reflexes, and agility. Under Michels, Holland reached the World Cup Final for the first time in 1974, with Jan Jongbloed favored between the sticks over Jan van Beveren, despite the latter being the better technical shot-stopper.
The Modern Game
Nowadays, the goalkeeper’s role is more fluid than ever. Elite practitioners, such as Ederson of Manchester City, have the kind of passing accuracy that midfielders possess. Keepers such as Mark Flekken of Brentford also have highly developed styles of play where they prefer the ball at their feet rather than in their arms. We see the passes that goalkeepers make become ever shorter, and more accurate. This fits with the accepted style of playing out from the back, and the philosophy of possession-based football.
Goalkeepers are expected to make up the defensive ranks, and it’s not unusual to see a keeper venturing almost to the halfway line to support his side’s attacking forays. Conversely, it’s rare to see a goalie kick the ball far upfield — much more common is to see a short pass to a defender, or an incisive and accurate throw out to a winger.
Footballing roles have shifted across the years, and it’s interesting to take a look at the evolution of goalkeeping. Once a simple, almost crude role, now it is finely nuanced, relying on attacking nous as much as defensive prowess.