Goalkeeping: Working with your Centre Backs

These two players are perhaps the most important members of your team for you, the goalkeeper. A dominant pair of centre backs can give the team cohesion and confidence, especially when coupled with a very capable goalkeeper.

What is more confidence inspiring for a goalkeeper, than witnessing his two centre backs taking charge of every attack? It is so encouraging to witness them talking, encouraging and organising as well as dispelling any threat with a well timed intervention.

I have always said that the best goalkeepers are those who have to do nothing during a game. If you liken this to an entrepreneurial businessman whom delegates tasks in order to become a success, a high quality goalkeeper will adopt the same “delegation” techniques to organise his defence.

Goalkeepers should possess a good solid knowledge of his team’s tactics and must be able to “coach” from the back, and by using this knowledge he will be able to successfully organise his central defenders into a formidable unit. They too, must have knowledge and experience of the goalkeeper they are protecting. It is vitally important that at every “game” opportunity in training, this triangle of players work together regularly.

As a goalkeeper, you need to study your defenders style of play, observe which way they prefer to send the attacker whom is running at them, know whether they can win an aerial challenge or prefer to drop off the flighted ball? From this base knowledge, you can then begin to form a strategy to encourage the best from them.

You often get told as a goalkeeper to “Talk more”, but no-one ever tells you what to say, so just remember to be constructive in your communication. Don’t shout for the sake of shouting but have a purpose with your calls – what do you want that player to achieve? If you work with a goalkeeper coach then he should have the knowledge to help you with this, as it is his job to study the patterns of play that build up in front of you; but I know that many goalkeepers aren’t that fortunate to work with a coach so instead it is up to you to take the lead.

Outfield players aren’t the brightest(!) as many prefer to be told what to do as opposed to deciding for themselves. If you can make their mind up for them, then it allows you to then organise the subsequential cover accordingly. Your centre backs will always appreciate a confident, talkative goalkeeper behind them so it is up to you to provide them with exactly that.

Keep your commands short and inspirational, spot the dangers and play within your teams tactics to thwart the danger before you have to make any save.