1 - Marc-Andre ter Ansplant

[Behrox]

From the GK's perspective direct eye contact is when he is able to see and guess the trajectory of the ball at the very 0.1 (or less) second when the attacker touches it in order to shoot or do anything else. There are GKs who are very good at this guesswork mathematics, whereas other GKs are of the more instinctive type and mainly good at blocking shots from close distances with their full body. Although the close-shot situation is usually more dangerous, they're still able to see the ball, so they can employ their best reflexes.
When the former type is unable to see the ball and hence the very moment of the shot, they become still and static, beaten, because their reflexes start kicking in only when they first see the ball, but often it is too late for them.

(It's a century old debate between experts to judge a free-kick situation, if it was easier for the good GK WITHOUT the wall, because in that case they'd be at least able to see the trajectory. Many GKs allow free-kicks in, because they can't see the ball due to the wall or hedge, so they start reacting when it's too late).

MATS clearly belongs to the second category of GKs, able to block many close-shots, but he often remains a planted-tree in the middle when he doesn't see the ball's first milliseconds.
If you watch the goals he got this season, you will see that more than 50% of cases he is standing there and his reflexes simply don't kick in - at all.

Bravo, for instance, is a good combination of the two basic types, one has rarely or never seen him standing like a tree - being beaten...
The best type of GK should always at least TRY to reach out for balls coming, even if some are clearly unstoppable, but they need to employ their reflexes all the time, not just in cases when there's a chance to stop the ball somehow...

Thanks that clarified it alot. Now I get why my GK gets angry when I try to stop the attacker's approach getting in front of him

 

[Mandrake]

If you only read this forum you would think that Bravo is a keeper of Buffon`s level. In reality, he is nothing more than a solid keeper, who chose to be at another team.

Well, according to the IFFHS Claudio Bravo was the worlds third best GK in 2015, after Neuer and Buffon and over DDG, Courtois and Cech. So saying he is nothing more than a solid GK - after the extraordinary level he showed at Barca, with 1 or 2 mistakes in 2 years, and what he's done for Chile, winning Chile's first 2 Copa Americas as captain in penalty kicks against Argentina and being MOTM both times, 2 WCs and looking for a third, is a bit of an understatment.

He's also one of the most expensive GKs in history, being sold at 32 for a pretty tidy sum. I suppose that says something about how the market values him.

I understand some people may not like him, but his achievements speak for themselves.

 

[Behrox]

2 WCs and looking for a third, is a bit of an understatment.

you wut m8

 

[Mandrake]

you wut m8

He's played two WCs, that's what I'm saying.

 

[BBZ8800]

Bravo, for instance, is a good combination of the two basic types, one has rarely or never seen him standing like a tree - being beaten...
The best type of GK should always at least TRY to reach out for balls coming, even if some are clearly unstoppable, but they need to employ their reflexes all the time, not just in cases when there's a chance to stop the ball somehow...

A good explanation, thanks.

About Mats, I don't remember ever seeing any top keeper just "looking (and doing nothing)" at the ball so often.
The only other Gk who did "only watch" the ball sometimes without trying too jump is Iker Casillas in the days when Real was horrible and when he was almost depressed and low on motivation.

For example, when I am watching videos from other legendary Gks, I have a feeling that Mats wouldn't even try to jump in half of these actions (more or less, whenever a ball is aiming near the far post, or seemingly out of reach). But some Gks can save those shots. Or at least, they try to jump and hope for the best.

Again, try to imagine Mats in some of these actions. He would "freeze" and do nothing in at least in 5-10 shots from this video:

Mats seems to be good at close range shots.
But he is weak at:
1. crosses
2. creating mistakes our of nothing (dangerous passes, for example, and some wrong decisions)
3. shots which are aimed at far post

 

[Potroh]

For example, when I am watching videos from other legendary Gks, I have a feeling that Mats wouldn't even try to jump in half of these actions (more or less, whenever a ball is aiming near the far post, or seemingly out of reach). But some Gks can save those shots. Or at least, they try to jump and hope for the best.
Again, try to imagine Mats in some of these actions. He would "freeze" and do nothing in at least in 5-10 shots from this video:
Mats seems to be good at close range shots.

Exactly.

And two more additional factors:
1. A "frozen" GK is usually quite bad for the entire team psychologically, because he transmits the "beaten, I won't even try" or the "I'm (we are) hopeless" feelings, hence the team needs to fill in morally by not 100% trusting the GK as the last resort of defense.
2. When he is "frozen" by misjudging the ball's trajectory, it either means his reflexes are problematic OR he is OVERCONFIDENT in the sense that he "thinks" the ball will end up somewhere else, thus miscalculating the situation and not allowing his reflexes to kick in.

A GK, who tries to jump or slip after every ball, will definitely catch 2 or 3 out of ten, but the frozen-tree keeper is simply expressing his own lack of abilities by doing nothing...

 

[evilhita666]

One of the first things that are taught to GKs is to never be safe and attempt the save even if they can't reach it or if it's going wide... Just check our first shot in the game (40th minute), Suárez was off target but Rulli still had his bases covered, it's something basic that every keeper should be able to do...

I think this is what happens when you drink too much of your own Kool Aid, and not only ter Stegen is at fault here, but the whole club and coaching staff, who believed the myth that we absolutely need some sort of playmaking GK unicorn over one who can actually save shots and be just proficient enough with his feet...

[gfy]CarefreeRequiredDutchshepherddog[/gfy]

[gfy]RequiredInferiorBaiji[/gfy]

 

[BBZ8800]

I was just reading Munir's topic and I have seen his goal against Barca.
I watched a goal while reading posts and seen "A frozen king" Mats again, lol:

Munir's goal vs. Barcelona

[gfy]PitifulFakeAlaskajingle[/gfy]

We all knew even few Months ago that he gets frozen sometimes, but now after all this talk about it, we will probably look for his frozen moments all the time in all matches.

 

[raedkuwait]

I was just reading Munir's topic and I have seen his goal against Barca.
I watched a goal while reading posts and seen "A frozen king" Mats again, lol:


We all knew even few Months ago that he gets frozen sometimes, but now after all this talk about it, we will probably look for his frozen moments all the time in all matches.

thats a perfect example of how he just froze, he didnt even try to save it, his reaction is really very very poor, and he will cost us many matches

 

[te amo barca]

I was just reading Munir's topic and I have seen his goal against Barca.
I watched a goal while reading posts and seen "A frozen king" Mats again, lol:


We all knew even few Months ago that he gets frozen sometimes, but now after all this talk about it, we will probably look for his frozen moments all the time in all matches.

Correa's goal this september was just the same.

[gfy]BruisedGiftedGuanaco[/gfy]

[gfy]KlutzyHollowGiantschnauzer[/gfy]

 

[DonAK]

He didn't do this much until the last year or so.

Not sure what the fuck prompted this major flaw.

And I wonder what de la Fuente is doing in GK training too. Surely he must have seen this.

 

[Horatio]

All this frozen talk makes me want to check out that Disney movie.

 

[spark]

Messi has scored that Correa goal hundreds of times with the exact same reaction from opposition goalkeepers. There is literally nothing that he could have done there except for luckily guess right. This fixation on frame by frame micro analysis of split second actions has become borderline insane.

 

[FlaFCB]

He didn't do this much until the last year or so.

Not sure what the fuck prompted this major flaw.

And I wonder what de la Fuente is doing in GK training too. Surely he must have seen this.

He got lazy after looking at the bench and seeing Jasper

 

[God Serena]

The hate train is pretty ridiculous. Now we're going back and blaming him for goals conceded in past games where there was little to nothing he could have done?

Oftentimes the ball goes past before the keeper can see it. Sometimes it's past before the keeper can react. Even situations where you're prepared to dive one way only for the shot to curve to the other side are enough to make you appear frozen. When Mats is standing in the dead center of his goal and a shot comes whipping through a large crowd towards his far post there's almost nothing he can do about it but hope it goes wide.