Image source: Team Talk
Before you can even determine that you have to look at what a good goalkeeper is. What skill makes them great? Is it elite shot stopping, penalty saving ability, elite sweeping, comfortable with their feet or high claims?
In my view, elite shot stopping is the basic marker of a good goalkeeper. Think of David De Gea. While he was weak at basically everything else, his shot stopping ability was among the best if not the best in the world. All his weaknesses were usually covered by an elite defense and a free scoring attack. When these players left Man Utd, De Gea’s weaknesses were highlighted. Suddenly, he looked like an average goalkeeper.
The same happened to Ederson. He has never been an elite shot stopper, but a magician with his feet. For years, Manchester City covered his weaknesses through their high possession gameplay. As a result, Ederson faced fewer shots on his goal giving the illusion of a great goalkeeper. As Man City has lost many of its best game controllers, the more Ederson got exposed for his poor shot stopping.
Therefore, if I were to build, not the perfect goalkeeper, but the most functional I would go for elite shot stopping, good penalty saving ability, comfortable with their feet, basic sweeping and elite ability to claim high balls in their box.
A good goalkeeper is the foundation of every high achieving team.
This brings me to an argument I was having with @Belemo a few weeks ago after Manchester United lost to Grimbsy. He was of the opinion that Man Utd should have beaten Grimbsy very easily despite the goalkeeping errors. While I agree with that assessment, I countered his argument by insisting that you cannot outscore bad goalkeeping.
It is my view that a bad goalkeeper demoralizes the entire team.
The defense is always jittery, which is why our defenders always look uncomfortable, especially from corners. Our midfielders cannot support the attack with freedom because they feel that every turnover could lead to a goal. The strikers are under pressure to perform, which is why they shoot from range most of the time.
The Grimsby game is a fantastic example because it demonstrates that if you have a bad goalkeeper, your team cannot afford to have a bad game. We were already 2 goals down in the first 30 minutes through Onana’s goalkeeping errors.
Contrast that with the game against Arsenal. We were far the better side but a resolute defense and a quality goalkeeper ensured out attempts on goal were nullified. Meanwhile, all it took for them to score was yet another goalkeeping error, where a weak attempt by Altay Bayindir to claim a cross allowed the ball to land on Calafiori’s head.
I conclude by saying, A Good Defense Creates a Good Attack. We are yet to see just how much of an improvement Senne Lammens is on Onana or Bayindir, but he definitely can’t be worse.