3-Goal Defending (GKs)

The loneliest GK on Earth...

3-Goal / Endline Cross Scenarios

Goalkeeping Tactics - Video & Stills

If only attackers played some in the goal.  They would know the extraordinary pressure attacking the endline puts on a GK, and the defenders trying to cover for him/her.  Yet another instance where position-specification harms the game.  But let's do keep winning those meaningless tournaments, youth coaches - and keep demanding those results, parents!  Short term success is always preferred.

Here we see two excellent goalkeepers victimized by endline crosses, despite playing the situations pretty well.  Bearing in mind the speed at which the EPL and Bundesliga sides featured play (and if you don't watch soccer live, be it Villanova here on the Main Line, or Reading United AC, or the Union, you truly don't know) slight errors, while not forgivable, are a reality.



Here's Dortmund's GK doing virtually everything right, but being beaten for Bayern Munich's opener in the Champion's League Final:

Here's a nice pair of still shots of the situation:

In all reality, this is an incredibly low-percentage situation for the offense.  Dortmund did essentially everything possible to prevent the goal.  Weidenfeller has blocked a pass toward the top of the 6 or back to the penalty spot, and has only conceded the pass between himself and the goal line- a ball that typically runs across the face of goal (terrifying for all to watch!) but harmlessly.

This is how tight a margin it was for Robben to slide the ball past Weidenfeller- and realize that he hit it between the GK and the endline!  That's the least probable ball to score on in an endline attack.  Heartbreaking for Dortmund; confirmation of the incredible skill of the Bayern attackers.

Below, video of the United goal against West Ham, in which Jääskeläinen also did nearly everything perfectly (the goal under discussion is at the 32 second mark, if you want to skip ahead):

The Takeaway:

Toughest situation short of a PK or a 1v1 breakaway for a GK, and requiring timing and control that are hard to learn.  Both GKs here did a wonderful job of staying on their feet, not getting into the situation where they are on the ground while the ball is still in play.  Both tried to eliminate options to the point that wherever the ball went, they could capitalize on having stayed on their feet and either make a save or gather a loose ball.  And both suffered from great players making tough plays.  

If there is a criticism to be made of the GKs in these scenarios, it is that in staying on their feet for so long, they lost the initiative to stop the crosses.  And this is pretty nit-picky stuff, mind you.  I want never to face Arjen Robben 1v1!  But in the Man U goal, you can see clearly about the 48 second mark how the GK drops to the exact endline, and the goal scorer is clearly visible behind him.  Had he moved to the ball, and treated the situation like a breakaway, he may have forced an error, or smothered the ball.  Or he could get embarrassed and scored on anyway.  But, if a goal is going to be given up, for this GK coach, be sure there is a price to be paid for providing this kind of service.

For Weidenfeller's part, he couldn't blast Robben as he received the ball, as he was facing away from the GK; any attempt to play the ball would have been a PK.  Once Robben turned and went endline, Weidenfeller did really well to stay close and force Robben to stay wide.  Given the dribbling skill of Robben, Weidenfeller plays the odds and keeps his feet, being patient and waiting for a chance to attack the ball.  Robben never lost control, and found the one space where he could deliver the ball across the face of goal.  Lots of credit to Mandzukic for continuing to press forward and find the cross.  Could Weidenfeller have attempted to tackle Robben without giving up a PK?  Watch it again and make the call!