The blueprint for a Premier League winning keeper

Kasper Schmeichel - A case study

The goalkeeper is arguably the most important and unique position on the planet, yet Lev Yashin is the only goalkeeper to have ever won what is now known as the Ball d’Or. Few people appreciate the contribution of the man at the back, and those wearing the gloves are found to be christened a good shot stopper, however, a goalkeeper is so much more than this; the ability to claim crosses, command their area and have to deal with the psychological warfare that is a penalty shootout. And one goalkeeper who personifies these qualities is Premier League winner Kasper Schmeichel. In his 200 Premier League appearances he has kept 61 clean sheets, saved four penalties and made 579 saves. 

Attributes

The goalkeeper is the last line of defence and needs to make sure that they keep the ball out of the net, and Schmeichel’s flawless positioning and footwork contribute to him making shot stopping look a lot easier than it actually is. But it is one thing to stop a shot, and another to handle it. That can be parrying it or punching it clear, even catching it cleanly and keeping hold of it. The last thing a goalkeeper wants to do is spill a shot back out into a dangerous area. Schmeichel demonstrates this prioritisation; of catching the ball rather than batting it, and positions himself where he is able to catch and hold. 

For the photography team at the King Power Stadium, Schmeichel’s reflexes, his ability to react in split-seconds, is the most exciting. The Leicester stopper is able to contort his body to block shots from close range and shift his torso to get some part of his body in front of a goal-bound shot. Reflexes are something you can really train and it is obvious he has worked on this throughout his career. However, a goalkeeper also needs to lean on this to deal with, not only shots, but crosses. Schmeichel’s 189cm frame allows him to have an aerial command, a mix of timing, technique and mindset, but decision-making is important too. He can effectively track the flight of the ball and know where the ball is going to land, then he is able to attack the ball at the highest point and get in front of the attackers.

As the game has evolved, goalkeepers can also be considered the first attacker and distribution is a big part of this. A goalkeeper needs to do this with both their feet and their hands in order to take pressing opponents out of the game, turning defence into attack, over short and extremely long distances. Schmeichel’s range of distribution has set up many attacks for Leicester as he completes a 70 metre pass with the same precision as a 10 metre pass.

 Lasting legacy to success

Kasper has arguably the best role model in his own home, Peter Schmeichel, and being the goalkeeper who guarded the goal line as Leicester beat many of Europe’s biggest clubs to the Premier League title will be his legacy. Goalkeepers are a unique part of a team, they are the building block that supports the rest of the team and the successes they may have.