It is no coincidence that leadership skills, personality and sobriety, which are usually the characteristics of a goalkeeper, end up being the qualities that often make him the captain of a team.
This time we’ll discuss the characteristics of the ideal “1”, the perfect goalie in all areas at global level. And to do that, Soccerplus spoke to Claudio Techera, an Uruguayan goalkeeper very successful in the 90’s who has been working as youth coach, head coach and coordinator of children in several clubs of Paraguay and Peru.
“The first thing to be a goalkeeper, good or bad, most importantly, is that you like the job. That’s fundamental because it’s a totally different job, you’re in the back, you’re the last to protect your team and you have to know how complicated it will be. Then, there is something very important to be a goalkeeper, which is size. Formerly you could see goalies under 6’0, but today this is impossible; the average height to be a goalkeeper is 6’3 “said Techera.
Strong mind
And precisely, coming back to the theme of personality and leadership skills that a goalie must have, Professor Claudio commented about it. “The ideal goalkeeper must have a very strong mentality, very solid; because he will receive slaps all the time, will receive counter attacks, and attacks but you always have to think that you’re the best in the world” the coach added.
The Uruguayan also commented on the messages the ideal “1” has to transmit, since he’s in constant communication, not only with his defense but almost with all his teammates.
“It’s very important the communication between the goalie and his defense, but I think it’s best to give a direct and short message. If you transmit the full match to the defenders, they’re going to go crazy and they will want to kick you, besides you will confuse them; so the best is a clear message. I went to Paraguay to play and when I was very young I spoke too much to my defense, and they said, “Hey, Uruguayan you talk a lot” but then time passed, I began to talk less and they said I needed to speak more, I didn’t know very well what to do (laughs)”, says Techera.
Finally, the Uruguayan shared some basic guidelines to be a great goalie.
Tips for the ideal goalkeeper
1. Knowing your place at the crossbar. Never lose sight of the reference goal line and the goal posts.
2. Organizing the defense. The particular view of the goalie must be used to find mistakes and cover up mistakes.
3. Elasticity. A specific training is necessary to gain elasticity and be able to block low shots into the corner of the net.
4. Footwork. The modern goalkeeper dominates footwork and knows very well where to go to begin the transition from defense-attack.
5 Crossing training. A common mistake is not having perfected intercepting crosses techniques. That’s where goalies suffer most.
THE BEST GOALIES
The International Federation of Soccer History & Statistics selected the 10 best goalkeepers of 2015. Here they are:
1°) Manuel Neuer (Germany-Bayern Munich) 188 puntos
2°) Gianluigi Buffón (Italy-Juventus) 78
3°) Claudio Bravo (Chile-Barcelona) 45
4°) David De Gea (Spain-Manchester United) 34
5°) Thibaut Courtois (Belgium-Chelsea) 24
6°) Petr Cech (Czech Republic-Chelsea y Arsenal) 18
7°) Marcelo Barovero (Argentina-River) 12
8°) Marc Andre Ter Stegen (Germany-Barcelona) 7
9°) Iker Casillas (Spain-Real Madrid y Porto) 6
10°) Daniel Subasic (Croatia-Monaco) 4