“I felt that after 60 minutes and 85 minutes in two games, in this period, to change the keeper in that moment, and I didn’t do it. I didn’t have the courage to do it” Mikel Arteta said in a recent interview.
“Someone is going to do it and maybe it’s, ‘Uh, that’s strange.’ Why? Why not. Tell me why not. You have all the qualities in another goalkeeper to do something; something is happening and we want to change momentum, do it.”
Our boss was ridiculed by many for sharing his views on changing a goalkeeper during the game. But is it as ridiculous as it sounds?
Keepers for different situations
Like outfield players, not all goalkeepers are built the same.
Some are fantastic shot stoppers, others brilliant with the ball at their feet and some are dominant under the high ball. You have the “goal line keepers” like Petr Cech that are at their best when they remain within their 6-yard box, and then you have the sweeper keepers like Manuel Neuer whose starting position is on the edge of the box.
In Robert Enke’s post humorous book A Life Too Short, the German keeper described his struggles at Barcelona.
He was very much a keeper that liked to stay on his line, whilst a young Victor Valdes preferred to be on the edge of his box.
Whilst Enke out performed Valdes in every training ground metrick (reflexs, shot stopping, jumping, etc), it was the Spanaird who estabalished himself as the Catalan’s number one. And when Enke did deputise for Valdes, he was like a fish out of water being asked to play a goal keeping role that he was not comfortable.
That lead to heavy criticism and his Barcelona dream ended in a nightmare.
So if you understand that goalkeepers are different, then why is it so crazy to be of the view that a different keeper might be more suitable to different situations?
Outfield differences
“I am able to take a winger or a striker and put a central defender back and go to a back five to hold a result” Arteta continued during his interview.
We see managers make substitutions every match to allow them to change their tactics depending on the game situation.
Leading a game, you bring a more defensive midfielder on for an attacking one. You do not expect the attacking midfielder to play deeper. Likewise when trying to win the game, you might sacrifice one of your more defensive midfielders for someone with more attacking intentions.
If you are trying to defend a lead, you might take off your short, rapid striker for someone a bit more robust who can hold the ball up and provide an outlet winning free kicks. Or go the other way and take off your big striker for someone a bit pacier to try and play on the counter attack.
You might take a midfielder off for a central defender and go 5 at the back. What you do not do is say to Martin Odegaard “you are now playing in the defence”.
So if you agree that keepers are built differently, and that substituting players for in-game tactical reasons is correct, then is changing your keeper with 20 minutes to go when leading 1-0 (or losing 1-0) really that insane?
Attacking keeper
These days, most top teams look to dominate posession. As a result they want a goal keeper whose natural starting position is at the edge of the box and who is naturally gifted with their feet and decision making.
Manchester City are happy having someone like Ederson in goal who is not the best in the world at shot stopping and dealing with crosses, but is the best in the world with his ball at his feet.
Having a keeper who is comfortable on the edge of his box allows the defence to have their starting position on the half way line. That in turn pushes the midfield further forward and allows your front 3 to “camp” on the edge of the opponents box. A natural high press.
This allows you to overload the final third and create attacking positions by winning the ball higher up the pitch.
The defence do not need to drop deep as they know every ball played over the top will be cut out by the keeper. If the keeper prefers to stay on his goal line, the tactic is unworkable as it means that there is a huge gap between the defence and the stopper. Too easy for the opposition to put the ball into that space and get an attacker clean through.
A goal keeper who is comfortable with the ball at his feet also always you to have an “extra man” when playing the ball around the defence.
In yesteryear, clubs would play with a back 5, with the middle of them a sweeper.
The sweeper would sit deeper and was always available for a backwards pass if his team were in trouble, allowing sides to recycle possession and being again.
With a keeper doing that role, you can then have an additional attack minded player on the pitch.
Having a more attack minded keeper also means that if you are 1-0 down and pressing in the last 20 minutes to get a goal, you can push higher and overload those attacking positions.
Defensve keeper
Whilst having an attacking keeper is most top clubs preference, many lesser clubs prefer a more defensive keeper.
Teams like Newcastle who have their defences first position at the edge of their own box. They look to pack the defence and midfield, soak up pressure and then hit opponents on the counter attack.
Having a keeper big like Nick Pope, surrounded by giant defenders, makes them very hard to break down.
By the time you are through the back 4, you are close to the goal and have Pope with his giant figure smothering you. And do not thinkg getting it wide and putting crosses it solves the issue, the likes of Pope are also dominant in the air.
If you go 1-0 up and begin to defend deeper, having someone like Pope in goal is a benefit as opponents look to increasingly employ the long ball.
As you sit deeper, you will naturally give away more free kicks, more corners, giving the opposition more opportunity to swing high balls into the box.
A keeper that can come out and catch the ball at this point is a game changer. Holding onto it for 30 seconds releases pressure and slow down the opponents momentum.
Goal keeper substitution
So changing your goalkeeper with 20 minutes to go…
Say you are Manchester City, your first choice keeper is Ederson. you go out and buy Nick Pope as his cover. Leading 1-0 with 20 minutes left on the clock, Manchester City are under pressure to Brentford who are pumping high balls into the box.
Ederson is struggling with the physically of Ivan Toney jumping against him. Every free kick, every corner, is a heart in mouth moment for City fans.
Spo Pep takes Ederson off for Nick Pope. The Englishman, being a more dominant presence in the box, will not be as bullied as the man he replaced.
He comes out and claims everything. Every cross, every corner, every free kick is caught by him. Brentford lose the momentum they have built and become despondent. Their heads go down and Man City hold on for a 1-0 win.
“Genius move by Pep” would be the headline as his mid-game goalkeeper changed the momentum and helped his side secure the 3 points.
Why does it not happen?
When a manager makes defensive substitutions to see out a game, fans are used to it. It is a tried and test method so if it does not work supporters and the media do not say the manager made a tactical error.
On many occassion, Arteta bought on Rob Holding and went to a back 5 to see out a game. It worked on almost every occassion.
That meant that on the odd occassion it did not work and the opponent equalised (think Liverpool away last year), Arteta was was not condemned for his change.
But changing the keeper would be a new thing. Groundbreaking. Never been done before. And like Arteta says, the first manager to do it will have to be very brave.
If it does not work first time and you concede, you will have hours of punditry dedicated to criticising your decision. So managers stay in their comfort zone and stick with what they know.
But to go 1-1 bringing on a defender for a midfeilder than go to 1-1 swapping your goal keeper.
There is also the argument that keepers need to grow into a game. That it can take them a while to get fully up to speed and the adrenaline pumping. That sitting on the bench for 70 minutes could affect their alterness and supplety.
Final thoughts
Was this just Arteta theorising?
You can certainly picture the likes of Arteta, Guardiola, Arsene Wenger, Carlo Ancelotti and other great thinkers of our game sitting around with a whiskey and discussing it in depth.
I think the consensus would be that it makes a lot of sense, but the fall-out if it does not work is just too much
There is a lotof logic in changing your keeper depending on the match situation. But as Arteta said, it will take a manager with a lot of courage to do it…
Keenos
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 