The goalkeeper is the player furthest back and one of those with the most responsibility. Its main function is to intercept, protecting its goal, preventing the rival from scoring a goal.
No part or phase of the game is more important than another. They are all equally relevant, but if I had to highlight one above the others, this would be the start of the game in the initiation zone, that is, the release of the ball from the goalkeeper.
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Current football
The way football is played has changed over the years. Now the way of playing is based more on the possession game and trying to get the ball played from behind when starting the attack. That is why the figure of the goalkeeper has even greater importance, since he is in charge of starting the creation of the play.
Ball exit
The goalkeeper in this situation of the game is a fundamental piece, because thanks to him we can take advantage of superiority in the starting zone, this will benefit us in the advancement of the game and thus reach finishing zones or the rival area with more stability. From this player we are going to generate both positional and numerical advantages.
It is also important that in order to make a good ball release from the goalkeeper, he must have good footwork, to be able to make the passes with precision, reducing errors and loss of the ball, since if this happens it would create a clear scoring opportunity for the rival team.
If he has these qualities, this will help us a lot when it comes to associating easily in case there is pressure from the rival, causing superiority, because he is the only player who is free of marking.
Another aspect to take into account is the pressure of the rival, since if they put pressure on us in a high block and it makes it impossible for us to have a good association or clear pass. In these cases, what we have to try is for the goalkeeper to look into the distance, analyzing the opponent's defensive disposition in order to find the space or the free teammate.
That is why the figure of the goalkeeper has become much more important over the years and is no longer only focused on the function of saving balls.
