Common GK Question

Manuel Neuer's Terrible Hands

A great question the other day from a dad of an LMSC GK after training.  After watching this video, he noted that Neuer didn't catch too many of the balls launched at his goal:

So are we to conclude Neuer is somehow technically deficient?  

Here's several reasons why the parrying thing seems to be on the rise, speaking specifically only about the professional level:

1. In this video, it's all the biggest saves, and those by definition are made at the edge of a GK's ability, and so most monster saves don't see a safe catch- it's all the GK can do just to get there.
2. The ball is juiced.  While not all the new balls are as notorious as the 2010 Adidas Jabulani from the FIFA World Cup, they are all super-round, lightweight and have different flight characteristics from the off-the-rack $50 job you find at Dick's Sporting Goods.  It knuckles, it swerves, and often moves erratically mid-flight; catching is a lot harder when the hands have to make quick adjustments late in the play.
3. The players are artists.  Witness Gareth Bale's free kick from this past Europa League season against Lyon:
4. Safety first.  These days the stakes are so high GKs simply won't risk dropping a ball in a dangerous area.  These guys are strong and powerful, and so can usually deflect a ball well away from goal where a defender can be counted on to finish the job of clearing it.  Recall this one from 2010 South Africa?
5. Technique matters.  When the pros parry, they are very careful to use either closed fists (palms towards the ball) or the base of the palm, to ensure that the ball is parried with a hard surface, directing the ball wide of the goal, preferably, or at least outside the penalty area.  Unless left with no other choice, they'll assiduously avoid using a flat, open hand as this will only stop the ball and not redirect it away from goal.  Bottom line, it's a calculated risk to parry, and the benefits generally work out in the defense's favor.
6. Injuries.  These guys play an awful lot of football, and there's always a sprained wrist or thumb, broken finger, bruised whatever, twisted everything.  Catching a ball that's hit hard can be that much more difficult, and so a strong (and less-painful) parry may be saving some grief for the GK.

The base of the palm technique

Closed fist technique