From Arnold to Musovic: The goalkeepers are among the big winners at the Women’s World Cup. The significant increase in performance “in the box” can be proven with figures. Clubs and national teams are now investing more in training keepers.
Whenever world goalkeeper Mary Earps was needed, she was there. At the entire World Cup – and also World Cup semi-finals against Australia on Wednesday (08/16/2023). First she prevented her team from going behind with a strong foot defense (7th). Later, when England were already leading 2-1, she was there again to support her team and fend off the equalizer (83’/85′). With four brilliant saves, the goalkeeper from Manchester United played a decisive role in the 3-1 final of the “lionesses” – she was powerless only against a sensational goal from Australia’s Sam Kerr (63rd).
Top keepers: Earps, Arnold, Musovic
Earps is no exception at the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Again and again goalkeepers decide the games with strong parades. Like Australia’s Mackenzie Arnold, who outdid himself in the quarter-finals against France and defused three French attempts on penalties.
US goalie Alyssa Naeher, 2019 World Champion, must have had a hunch when she said after the preliminary round: “I’ve seen so many great saves this year from every goalkeeper in the tournament.” In the round of 16, Naeher’s US offensive teammates despaired of Sweden’s goalkeeper Zecira Musovic, who defused eleven shots on goal.
Nine times goalkeeper “Player of the Match”
In the previous 62 World Cup games, the goalkeepers were nine times “player of the game“Elected, including Earps, Arnold and Musovic. And, the German national player Ann-Katrin Berger is sure: It’s no coincidence. “You see in women’s football, goalkeepers get much, much better over the years”says the 32-year-old in the “Sportschau” interview.
Earps defuses 87.5 percent of the shots
And that can also be proven with numbers. Earps defused 87.5 percent of the balls on her box at the World Cup – more than men’s world champion and world goalkeeper 2022 Emiliano Martinez. The Argentine was only able to keep 53.8 percent of the balls on his box in Qatar. France’s vice world champion Hugo Lloris also fended off fewer balls at the World Cup with a strong 83.3 percent than England’s Earps in her six games in Australia so far.
Earps: “This World Cup is fantastic”
“I like seeing goalkeepers do a good job‘ Earps said before the semifinals. “I couldn’t hear much because of the noise in the stadiums, but I hope people cheer for our performance because I think it’s fantastic at the World Cup.”
“Oranje” coach Jonker: “A whole generation”
Netherlands coach Andries Jonker gave an example of how the goalkeepers are improving: “Four years ago there were goalkeepers who couldn’t handle the ball under the bar. And now we have a whole generation of very athletic goalkeepers who don’t let that kind of ball go anymore.”, said the 60-year-old after his team’s knockout round against South Africa (2-0). “orange“-Keeper Daphne van Domselaar belongs “to this new generation. They’re athletic, they’re in good shape, they have good positional play”Jonker explained. “The development in this area is incredible.”
More balls are fended off by hand
Nadine Angerer, world champion with Germany in 2003 and 2007, also sees an improvement in the performance of the goalkeepers. Angerer analyzed World Cup data from the preliminary round for the world association FIFA and reports on the FIFA website: “The number of shots blocked by hand has increased from 74 percent at the 2019 World Cup to 78 percent at the 2023 World Cup.” At the 2015 World Cup, only 65 percent of shots on goal were saved by hand. At the same time, however, the level of shots on goal has also changed.
Goalkeepers have less time
Because, according to Angerer: “There are more shots in the penalty area, so the goalkeepers have less time to react.” Former Swiss international Pascal Zuberbühler, who now works for FIFA, sums it up: “After watching many tournaments, I can clearly see an improvement in the quality, but also in the variety of the saves.”
Zuberbühler: “See more control”
In addition to the better athletics attested by Jonker, Zuberbühler also observed an improved technique: “We’re seeing more control and better positional play. In this tournament, the goalkeepers really have mastered the fundamental techniques and skills to make the quick moves that this position demands.”said the 51-time Swiss international.
Data analysis: Significant increase in some cases
A data analysis created by the consulting company CreateFootball on behalf of the “Sportschau” underscores this assessment. The data on positional play in previous World Cup games is impressive: Thanks to improved anticipation of the game, the goalkeepers were in an optimal defensive position for 87 percent of shots on goal. This is immensely important in order to be able to parry a ball at all. And that is a significant increase compared to the 2019 World Cup (71 percent).
The timing of high balls has also improved: in the knockout stages, the goalkeepers were able to intercept 82 percent of crosses in front of the goal, which is four percent more than in 2019. In addition, the goalkeepers throw more precisely and further, 97 percent of the Throws from the goal reach the teammate (2019: 93 percent).
More “Scoring Games”
Another expression of the improved quality of the goalkeepers are the games without conceding a goal. In the 56 games leading up to the round of 16, there were 51 clean sheets on at least one side – an increase of 33 percent compared to 2019. Up to the semi-finals, the number of clean sheets rose to 53 in 62 Matches (for comparison: in 2019 there were 31 of 50 games up to the semifinals).
LeBlanc: Training with the kit man
And there’s a reason for that. Clubs and national teams are investing more in goalkeeper training. Different than before. “Once in my career I was in a club where the kit man was simply supposed to take over the training of the goalkeepers as well.”Karina LeBlanc, who played five World Cups with Canada between 1999 and 2015, told the US broadcaster Fox Sports. “Now there is extra investment in this position, there are special training programs here in America and over there in Europe. Even FIFA has a special goalkeeper analysis program.”
Berger: “They have their own trainers”
Ann-Katrin Berger in England also benefits from this. In hardly any other league and in hardly any other club is so much money spent on training goalkeepers as at Chelsea. “The improvement in performance is because, as goalkeepers, for example, we get regular coaches. If you have one of the best goalkeeper coaches, you go far. That’s a basic building block.”
Women have to compensate for size disadvantages
In training, different accents are set than with the men. Because goalkeepers like Earps, who are 1.73 meters tall, and even Berger or Arnold, who are 1.80 meters tall, are shorter than their male colleagues, training has to be different. Because where Argentina’s Martinez or Germany’s Manuel Neuer, with their 1.93 meters, can easily reach with their long arm, Earps and Co. have to stretch significantly. And that is then also specially trained: more jumping power, more control of the penalty area, more technical and tactical understanding of the game.
World Cup keepers have better odds than World Cup keepers
In the coming season, Ann-Katrin Berger will have to be compared to Zecira Musovic again. The Swede is now one of the World Cup stars in the keeper position. In her native Sweden she only published a children’s book at the beginning of August entitled: “Dream big, Zecira” published. She would also like to dream big in London and step out of the reserve role.
At the World Cup, Musovic, unlike Berger, who remained undeployed, played his part in the fact that from the point of view of the goalkeepers, a comparison with the men of the guild is worthwhile. Musovic and Co. defused 69.5 percent of shots on goal (357 of 514 balls) at the 2023 World Cup. In percentage terms, they are better than the men at the 2022 World Cup, who “only” saved 65.1 percent (327 out of 502 shots).