Champions Matchday Champions Matchday
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TAC TI C S Even the most proficient at AFC Ajax in the 1990s and exported, by their STATE OF PLAY goalkeepers are destined to spend part of their SWEEPING UP UEFA Champions League-winning coach Louis working lives picking the ball out of the net, a The goalkeepers who made the most van Gaal, to Barça. Where the top keepers touched the tackles, interceptions and clearances in ball in last season’s competition ritual that may encourage some of them to last season’s competition Johan Cruyff played a sweeper-keeper as Ajax regard the spherical object that dominates their coach in the 1980s. In 1985/86, he told Stanley careers as the enemy. Yet in the modern game, Manuel Neuer Bayern (left) 25 Menzo, a brilliant shot-stopper: “Go out there Fernando Muslera Galatasaray 17 goalkeepers need to learn from Edwin van der Joe Hart Manchester City 15 and make mistakes.” Cruyff had a point. Sar, who won the UEFA Champions League José Reina Napoli 11 A sweeper-keeper has to take risks – and twice, and treat the ball as a friend. Wojciech Szczęsny Arsenal 10 sometimes these risks backfire. Unluckily for Roman Weidenfeller Dortmund 10 One great exponent of this goalkeeping style Menzo, when he did err, he found his new boss, 0.60% 2.99% is FC Bayern München’s No1, Manuel Neuer. After Van Gaal, was not amused. He lost his place to Germany’s FIFA World Cup match against Algeria Van der Sar, who was comfortable with the ball in Brazil, in which Neuer repeatedly raced out to at his feet but was more cautious in his 2.39% 91.34.% 2.69% rescue his defence, the Mannschaft’s calculations about when to leave his area. goalkeeping coach Andreas Köpke quipped: “I’ve In the 1990s, Van der Sar, Peter Schmeichel, never seen a better sweeper – apart from maybe Oliver Kahn and René Higuita excelled as Thibaut Courtois rarely left his penalty area Franz Beckenbauer.” Asked if this approach sweeper-keepers. Yet the scorpion-kicking wasn’t unduly risky, Neuer said: “If I was afraid, Colombian also illustrated the dangers, losing I’d stay on the line. I can’t start hesitating. Once the ball on the halfway line to Cameroon’s I make a decision I have to see it through.” Roger Milla during the 1990 World Cup in Italy For coach Josep Guardiola, Neuer is just doing at the very moment when a Colombian TV what a modern keeper must do. At FC Barcelona, commentator was pointing out what “an 2.07% 18.05% 2.07% Victor Valdés was often positioned well outside exceptional sweeper” he was. his area when his side were in possession. Such blunders are rarer now. Former Barça Bayern’s No1 is, as Der Spiegel said, “the No1 Victor Valdés won the UEFA Champions 6.64% 66.18% 4.98% prototype of the goalkeeper as footballer.” League three times, interpreting the sweeper- keeper role with an efficiency that even Van Gaal HOOF AND RUN would have appreciated. Neuer’s sweeping up is Manuel Neuer was not afraid to keep a high line Neuer’s decisive sweeping up must remind more dramatic than Valdés’s, but that partly Bayern fans of a certain age of the antics of reflects differing styles of play. Bayern don’t TSV 1860 München keeper Peter Radenković. In 0.93% the 1960s, the Yugoslavian international was the Bundesliga’s first foreign superstar. Radenković KÖPKE SAID OF NEUER: “I’VE NEVER SEEN A BETTER believes he created modern goalkeeping. 2.17% 8.70% 0.93% He loved to roll the ball out – or pretend to. Technical area SWEEPER – APART FROM MAYBE BECKENBAUER” Often, if there was no opponent nearby, he would roll the ball in front of him and start to counterattack. There was space behind our dominate teams as Guardiola’s Blaugrana 6.21% 79.50% 1.55% dribbling. And he wouldn’t stop until he was defence and I had to act as a kind of extra once did, so Neuer has more to do. The Roten’s tackled. Occasionally, his forays took him to the sweeper, outside our area, trying to reach the attacking style is also less patterned, more edge of the opposing area. An outfield player in through ball before the opposition did.” unpredictable, than Barça’s, so he has more Petr Čech mostly covered the left his youth, he had learned, he said, “that you Hungary’s revolutionary tactics traumatised decisions to make when distributing the ball. don’t just hoof the ball away”. England – who lost 6-3 and 7-1 to the Mighty For some coaches, the old-fashioned keeping Although Radenković won three caps for The ball is Magyars – but inspired a Dutch centre-forward virtues – such as shot-stopping and claiming 0.24% Yugoslavia, the dribbler-keeper never caught called Rinus Michels. As Netherlands coach at the a cross – remain paramount. Yet having a keeper on. The player who has the best claim to have 1974 World Cup, Michels decided that Jan who acts like an 11th outfield player is created modern goalkeeping is Gyula Grosics, Jongbloed’s ability to play as an extra defender, increasingly on trend. In that respect, it seems 0.96% 5.28% 0.48% the Hungarian legend. In the 1950s, under 20m from goal with the ball at his feet, made significant that Neuer has trained with other visionary coach Gusztáv Szebes, Hungary played your friend him more useful than any shot stopper. players – rather than just other goalkeepers and a revolutionary 4-2-4 formation with Nándor Jongbloed’s sweeping up wasn’t subtle – his brief specialist coaches – since he was a boy. 4.32% 86.81% 1.92% Hidegkuti as a withdrawn striker. This created, In the age of the SWEEPER-KEEPER, Paul Simpson says two good was to kick it somewhere safe – but it laid the Has that helped him develop the vision, as Grosics said, “an attacking game plan that foundations for Van der Sar to become the pivot positional sense, and reading of the game that provided more opportunities for the opposition feet – and self-belief – are as important as a pair of safe hands in a side that played ‘circulation football’ honed makes him so good at what he does? Iker Casillas played a mostly shot-stopping role A POTTED HISTORY OF GYULA GROSICS PETAR RADENKOvić stANLEY MENZO PETER schMEichEL VictOR VALDÉS Playing behind a more fluid back four in The flamboyant Yugoslav international Just 19 when he joined AFC Ajax, Menzo Manchester United FC’s Danish legend One of the greatest circulators of the SWEEPER-KEEPERS the great Hungarian side of the early disconcerted and delighted TSV 1860 (left) was earmarked by coach Johan didn’t just clear up behind the back ball in the history of goalkeeping, 1950s, Grosics learned to roll the ball München fans – by dribbling out of his Cruyff as a promising sweeper-keeper. four, he started many attacks with his Valdés (left) was at the heart of the out, because it was more accurate than area. Radenković was a celebrity in Told to be bold, the keeper was first trademark long throw. Under Sir Alex tiki-taka with which FC Barcelona kicking it upfield. Soon, strikers Ferenc Germany in the 1960s. His single Bin i choice for seven seasons. In 1992/93, Ferguson, the Red Devils’ commitment dominated the UEFA Champions Puskás and Nándor Hidegkuti started Radi, Bin i König (I am Radi, I Am King) Menzo scored an own goal and was to attack meant that Schmeichel League between 2009 and 2011. As dropping back to collect the ball. sold 400,000 copies. Though he won blamed for another in a UEFA Cup loss seldom had a quiet game. Oliver Kahn, one coach said: “For years, he has Grosics, who won 86 caps and the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1965 to AJ Auxerre. New Ajax coach Louis van his opposite number in the 1999 UEFA helped us by bringing the ball out from revolutionised goalkeeping, died in with 1860, his style of keeping did not Gaal replaced him with a youngster from Champions league final, was another deep. If he started kicking the ball long, June this year at the age of 88. inspire many imitators. the academy called Edwin van der Sar. brilliant sweeper-keeper. we would lose our combination game.” 48 49 CHAMPIONS MATCHDAY CHAMPIONS MATCHDAY.