Goalkeeping: Playing with 10 men

It is a horrible scenario, the second you see the referee flash that red card you know full well that the game has just gotten a whole lot harder! However all is not lost, and it is often harder to play against 10 men providing that the weakened side work harder for each other and maintain their discipline.

For a goalkeeper it is a great opportunity to stamp your authority on the game as, in theory, you may very well be the busier of the two custodians! So, what can you do that can help your team play against the odds?

One of the key things that you need to remember is not to panic, and encourage your team at all times. Negativity is contagious and if you start to moan then this will affect those in front of you – many footballers need to be led, and you can become the shepherd! Obviously your team manager will sort out the team shape, and you must support his decision – whether you agree or not, now is not the time to question it!

What happens in the majority of instances is a swift adoption of a 4-4-1 formation, this is just an example and each team may differ accordingly, but whatever formation given can you encourage your players to maintain their shape?

Lots of encouragement and coaching is needed from you, as you need the players protecting you to work incredibly hard at closing the ball down. Remember the opposition will have more space available, so it is imperative that you can encourage the first defender (nearest to the ball) to close down and stop the forward pass. Try to rein your players in from chasing the game – they are no use to you chasing down an aimless clearance over their full back if it will leave your midfield exposed for instance.

You need your protection layers to do just that; protect! Make sure that you are always on your front foot and ready to sweep up any long balls as this is what you will be trying to force from the opposition. You need to dominate your penalty area, and gain team confidence by coming for deep crosses and immediately taking the pressure off your side. You can dictate their attitude.

When in possession, your side will need patience and the ability to build slowly before hitting on the break. Possession is the order of the day here, and you need to be taking an active role in providing an outlet for the man in possession.

This does not necessarily have to be you showing for the ball, your vantage point on the field will allow you to encourage movement into space from the supporting players, so you should all the time be scanning the pitch and observing what space is available at any given time. If the ball is rolled back to you, can you immediately switch play to your opposing full back or have the opposition pushed up the pitch far enough for you to unleash your forward with a long drive over the top?

Be aware of the role that you can play in a 10 man side, take responsibility for the result and certainly take charge of your penalty area. When your back is against the wall, can you be the one to inspire your team to an unlikely result? The answer is yes.