On the
third week of the Premier League season, Patrick van Aanholt scored deep into stoppage time
to claim Crystal Palace’s first win at Old Trafford since 1989.
Immediately after the goal, there were questions asked of how Manchester United keeper David
De Gea was beat at his near post. As per the maxim, everyone knows that goalkeepers shouldn’t
be beaten at their near post.
Right?
Few things are more irritating than misinformation surrounding the goalkeeper position, and this
myth is right at the top of the list. If the ball goes in at the far post, criticism rarely
follows. But if it sneaks in at the near post, fans and pundits are quick to pass blame.
It’s lazy analysis, and something that doesn’t make
sense.
There is a quote that Borussia Dortmund keeper Roman Burki attributed to Kasper Schmeichel
a couple of years ago that sums up this point: “Anyone who has played in goal knows it’s
a huge area and you try to cover the whole goal. You can’t try and cover the whole
goal and guarantee the ball won’t go in at the near post if it’s a great shot. Near
post, far post, you try to cover it all and you’re not happy if it goes in anywhere.”
There are far too many variables involved — the angle, distance, speed and height
of the shot, and reaction time (just to name a few) — to say the ball should never go
in at the near post.
Truthfully, a goalkeeper of De Gea’s quality should be expected to save that sort of shot,
but the fact it went in at the near post is irrelevant. Are there moments when a keeper
exposes their near post leading to an easy goal? Yes. But this wasn’t one of those
instances.
While De Gea wouldn’t have been upset because of where it went in, he will been disappointed
at how. It all stems from a breakdown in one of the most basic goalkeeping fundamentals:
his set position.
When facing shots from in and around his six-yard box, De Gea likes to keep himself quite upright
as he gets set (even as the shooter is coming towards him), using his tall, lanky frame
to cover as much of the goal as possible. His upper body is erect and square to the
ball, his legs are bent and slightly wider than shoulder-length apart, and his hands
are around waist height.
Against shots above his waist, he uses his quick hand-eye coordination to tip balls up
and over the goal. For balls that are low and near his body, he relies on his exceptional
ability to block shots with his feet. It is his body shape (in addition to his incredible
reflexes) that allows his decision making to be as fluid and exact as it is. When he
gets his set position correct, he almost always the correct choice between going for the ball
with his hands versus his feet.
Against Van Aanholt, De Gea did something a little peculiar, and it made all the difference.
Instead of being more upright, the Spaniard chose to get set in a lower crouch position,
with his legs bent significantly wider apart than normal. This awkward set position created
a hesitation in choosing the correct approach to take against the shot.
De Gea then got caught in the choice of whether to use his hands or his feet to make the save.
It wasn’t until the ball is almost halfway to the goal (about six yards out, compared
to the original 12) that De Gea began to manoeuvre his body to make the save with his hands.
Once the decision was made, De Gea would ideally then want to fall towards the ball as quickly
as possible, get a strong barrier behind it, and push his hands forward to meet their target.
Yet, he couldn’t. The lower half of his body, specifically the right knee, was impeding
the hands’ direct path to the ball.
Whether it goes in far corner or near corner, it’s still a goal. And it would be the same
exact error, regardless.
As inefficient as De Gea was on this shot, credit must also be given to Van Aanholt.
The location of the strike made life difficult for the United No 1. It’s one of the areas
goalkeepers call “black holes” . They are the toughest areas to reach with their
hands or feet.
That’s not to say that De Gea shouldn’t do better, because a goalkeeper of his quality
clearly should, but it shows how vital a clear mind and proper set position is, even for
the most experienced players. Furthermore, it serves to reinforce just how fine the margins
between a save
and a goal truly are.