Danny Vukovic’s positioning mistake to concede the lone goal of the game to Alex Brosque’s Sydney FC last week showcases the positional ineptitude plaguing our A-League goalkeepers.
Brosque gunned for goal with his first touch, a fast and clinical kick at Vukovic’s near post. The near post which should’ve been Vukovic’s first priority to protect.
Instead, he could only stand still as the ball curled past his right side, guilty of second-guessing that Brosque would shoot far post.
Tellingly, he didn’t shout at his defenders, instead staying planted to the ground in frustration.
In a season which is seeing young goalkeepers like Danny Vukovic, Tando Velaphi and Mitch Langerak being given the chance at the spotlight alongside the A-League’s old hands, it’s clear that our goalkeepers need to look up to the green and gold standard in Mark Schwarzer.
Vukovic, like most Australian keepers, possesses the keen physical reflexes required for the job, honed by Australia’s unique environment where we all learn to catch a rugby league ball and peg a cricket ball as well as kick the round ball into the stands.
But positionally he’s out of whack. If you watch most of the top A-League goals of the last five years, most of them are the result of goalkeepers standing too far out from the goal line. Vukovic is too centre in this case, offering Brosque too much of a sniff on goal.
And he lacks aggression, so often catching himself halfway between closing down the striker and sitting on the goal line, neither closing down the angle nor offering himself enough time to respond to shots.
Sure, Vukovic is a young keeper still learning his trade. But really, if he is worthy of selection for the Australian contingent to play Kuwait, he needs to learn the art of consistency.
And that begins by looking up to Shwarzer and studying his game.
After all, Schwarzer turns it on week in week out in the EPL. He isn’t an award winner for world’s best goalkeeper, but he is arguably the most consistent goalkeeper in the EPL, playing an important part in propelling Fulham up the ladder. And he is an important part of the Australian World Cup qualification campaign.
He stays within a metre or two of his goal line, allowing himself maximum time to respond to shots, and stopping the chance of being chipped.
When he wants to close, he quickly moves spreading to close angles of attack. And he jumps at everything that moves, rather than sitting around like a duck.
But most importantly, he applies these techniques week in week out, without fail.
For our keepers, priority number one should be to understudy with a goalkeeping great like Schwarzer. But Socceroos camps are few and far in-between.
So in the absence of Mark Shwarzer as a mentor for our Australian goalkeepers at this stage, it would be well worth videotaping his games, analysing his tactics and positioning for our young keepers to learn from.
We need to demand this kind of intensive learning from our elite players. Otherwise, how else can the standards of our A-League goalkeepers rise? A-League football in comparison to internationally renowned leagues is lazy and backward in preparation and intelligence.
Improvement begins with our players aspiring to mimic the best. And for our goalkeepers, that means mimicking Mr Consistency Mark Schwarzer himself.
Rob
Guest
Try looking up some footage on Peter Schmeichel or however you spell his name. He was almost always off his line, but very rarely chipped.
Rob
Guest
Chowder, How many times have you seen a keeper rooted to the spot in the EPL or other top leagues? All the time. It happens when a keeper realises he's beaten before he's had time to really react. Brosque's shot was inch-perfect. Sure, in theory keepers should go for everything, but in reality occasionally they are rooted to the spot because by the time their reflexes say "go", the ball is already past them. As a former national youth league keeper (in the old NSL days), I have many a time found myself watching a shot rip past me before I have had time to set myself, like Vukovic in the example you've provided. Basically, because Brosque hit the ball first time, Vukovic was not set for the shot, so had no chance of saving it. On the laziness aspect, which is touched on below, I think goalkeepers actually train harder than outfield players. Certainly I always did (and do, but now I only play park football). My keeper coach used to flog me within an inch of my life each session, and that was before the rest of the lads got the chance to do shooting practice. The number of drills an elite keeper does, or should do, is nuts, from training diving technique to handling, and general agility work, reaction speed, the ability to make two or three quick saves in a very, very short space of time. I would leave training an empty shell of a person, and then wake up to do it all again. I think Danny Vukovic has the makings of an excellent keeper. The "high 5" of Breeze in that grand final really set him back, confidence wise, but I think that generally, he's playing very well. He consistently makes very important saves - mostly due to his good positioning - and is decent coming for crosses. All he really needs to do is get rid of those brain explosions he occasionally has, and I think he has a realistic chance of a career overseas.
jimbo
Guest
Chowder, in your opening paragraph you said: "showcases the positional ineptitude plaguing our A-League goalkeepers." There seems to be a perception that the A-League is rubbish. The A-League ain't that bad and I was at both recent SFC games and thought the standard of play was pretty darn good, even the goalkeepers. Vukovic made some excellent saves apart from the goal and is back in good form after his referee touching controversy and missing out on Beijing. Sure the A-League ain't the best football league in the world but its 2008-09 average attendances of 12,966 puts it at 18th in the world and the standard of play in most games is pretty darn good. I agree that Velaphi and Vukovic have a way to go before they'll get a start in Pimbo's first eleven, but they're still pretty good goalkeepers and they are still both very young for goalkeepers. Vukovic was 21 when he played in the first A-League grand final.
David
Guest
Galekovic is going to portsmouth this january i donno what yor on about his going to be the 1st choice keeper and his 28 years old if he makes it in the EPL and portsmouth hold off from relegation we will be fine once swarts retiers
Chowder
Guest
The six yard line philosophy I don't really agree upon - I was compiling this article by watching youtube highlights and alot of Schwarzers keeping was within the six yard box, steps away from the goal line. Shay Given in Aus v Ireland was receiving crosses one step from the goal line, awaiting long strikes on goal steps from the goal. Nearly always on the goal line... Same Aus v Netherlands, Schwarzer in the EPL, etc.
Chowder
Guest
Rob, I have kept before but not in any meaningful level. I'm one of the high school ring in keepers cause I had decent catching reflexes (I fielded at silly mid on often as well). Playin off the goal line and goal box dominance are very important points. I do agree the save on Brosque's shot would be difficult - but my problem with it was he didn't even attempt to save. How can you stand there and not attempt to dive?
Chowder
Guest
Wait a sec Jimbo, as far as analysing the goalkeeping goes, we can agree Galekovic and Bolton are very tidy in this league I was very careful to point out our younger keepers as the ones needing to pick up the slack. Which leads me to the next point. Rob brought up a great point in Tando Velaphi keeping far too distant from the goal line. The Roar doesn't really give me enough room to post examples upon examples, but it was an important one to bring up. Because its another mistake the keepers are making week in week out. Mistakes are fine to make every now and again, except I argue that we can set the bar higher now that Vukovic could be capped for Australia. So as a potential socceroo, Velaphi and Vukovic need to improve upon these short passages because they are evidently leading to goals. And clean sheets are what it's about as a keeper isnt it?
Chowder
Guest
As far as Danny goes, he could only really play EPL if he gets consistency but really, looking at keepers like Bouzanis and Federici, i doubt danny is going to get a look in he lacks that certain charismatic confidence you find in your bosnich or your schwarzer
jimbo
Guest
I wouldn't focus on one mistake – I wouldn’t even call it a mistake. It was a very quick passage of play that went from virtually one end of the field to the other and Brosque hit the ball first time. The shot rolled all the way along the ground and scraped the inside of the post. You can excuse Vukovic for not saving it. A-League goalkeepers aren't lazy - just look at the goalkeeping in the SFC v AU game - Galekovic was brilliant and saved at least 2 goals from SFC and Bolton was very tidy at the other end. A-League players are full time professionals and train harder and play better than a lot of football supporters give them credit for.
Rob
Guest
Andrew, good follow up to my post. I did notice the "keeping on your line" point, but had already said enough, I thought! Cutting down angles is absolutely the first lesson (beyond the basic catching technique and how to land properly when diving) keepers learn, and I agree 100% that it is rare for a keeper to get specialised training unless he is picked at a young age in one of the talent identification squads. Clubs that have keeper trainers are really rare, and most keeper "training" at state league and lower level amounts to "Get in the Cage" and let the lads plaster a few at you. Sure, it trains your reflexes, but not much else. Your point on six foot 9 keepers is also good. Note how clumsy Kalac looked throughout his career compared to say, Bosnich or Schwarzer.
Andrew
Guest
Good article, but thought I'd pick up on a slight flaw. If you watch Mark Schwarzer, and just about any top class keeper, you'll see that they usually keep on the six yard line. Standing on your goal line does not in fact give you more time to respond to shots, but it does give the shooter more goal to aim at. Cutting down the angle is one of the first goalkeepeing lessons. Getting off your line quickly to deal with aerial crosses is another. And chipping a keeper is a very low percentage shot - doing it to someone over 186cm or 6 foot tall, as most keepers are, is very hard. Also, I thought Vukovic's positioning on the Brosque shot was probably OK, but the shot was brilliant, and taken first time. If you watch it again, you'll see that the problem was that Vukovic had not "set" himself when the shot was hit, and was therefore caught flat-footed. It was a shot that would have beaten most keepers. That said, you are right about training. I'm sure all A-League clubs have a keeper coach, but wouldn't bet that all clubs in the 2nd tier of football in Australia - the various State Leagues - have one. They are essential to a keeper's development, as the position is very specialised, and is constantly evolving. About 10 years ago, keeping was the land of the giants, but latterly, keepers have had to add more speed and on field ball skills to their repertoire and so the 6 foot 9 keepers have largely disappeared.
Footbal Person
Guest
That was an awsome comment.
Rob
Guest
I'm pleased to see an article on goalkeepers on here. it's been a long time coming. However, I find this focus on keepers being "beaten at their near post" a little irritating. The fact of the Brosque goal you refer to is that the keeper got caught out by the fact that brosque hit the ball first time, with amazing accuracy. I doubt many keepers, even your god Schwarzer, would have saved that one. The obsession with the near post is a problem in Australia. The fact of the matter is that the keeper should be positioned so that he has to move about the same distance between the near and far post to make the save. If we hug the near post that leaves the entire goal at the mercy of the striker. I recall the 1993 World Cup Qualifier second leg against Argentina in Buenos Aires, when our then no. 1 (I think it was Tony Franken, but not 100% sure) was hugging his near post even when the ball was on the wing, outside the box, and Argentina scored because the ball looped to the far post. He was poorly positioned. Why? Because he was obsessed with "not being beaten at the near post". Watch the top keepers (including Schwarzer), and you will find that they position themselves in the middle of the two posts relative to the position of the striker/ball, something that requires constant adjustment. It also means that keepers are often beaten at their near post. I do agree with you, however, on some other aspects of poor positioning. Tando Velaphi, for example, is frequently too far off his line, as was demonstrated brilliantly by Jason Culina in the Perth-Gold Coast game the other day, when Velaphi pretty much gave up on a shot from Culina from the half way line, and was only saved by the cross bar. Another aspect of goalkeeping that infuriates me is when keepers don't dominate their box, or choose to punch when it's easier and much safer to catch a cross. The Roar's keeper McMaster is guilty of this week-in, week-out, and if I were one of his defenders, I would be trying to win every cross myself than leave it to old captain flappems with the gloves on. A great example of a keeper who is positionally spot-on is Bolton (and he's great on crosses too), as is Galekovic. Also, whatever happened to the keeper who looked to clean up the strikers when he got a chance? Let's be honest, strikers love getting a hit on keepers (witness Chris Coyne's hit on Liam Reddy earlier this year, which resulted in a goal). Keepers need to be aggressive, and prepared to give a hit as well as take it. In short, many of the A-League's keepers need to eat some cement! Great Article Chowder. Some great food for thought here. I assume you're a keeper? I am too! Cheers.
marinator4LYF
Guest
good article and i few good points, while i have every confidence that danny will one day play EPL level football, i agree he still has alot to learn, similarly, how often do A league teams train? Surely it would be easy enough to train the same as they do in europe but i have a feeling its more like 3 days a week, its in training that players learn so the more they train....... THE BETTER THEY GET, QUICKER!!