Super Tim!

Another noteworthy revelation from Rio was the record breaking number of saves by Tim Howard in the game against Belgium; one of the best to watch in the whole world cup. Able to do everything but score to get his team the win, Tim made a big impression for his home nation, enough to perhaps even grow the audience of soccer in the States!

His performance pretty much epitomised what being a good goalkeeper is: being there for your team mates, putting everything on the line for them, not worrying about conceding but focusing more on the task at hand, and playing with a gutsy and emotional approach.

Tim's story is also given greater depth by his personal struggle with Tourettes and his grandmother's inspiration for him playing in goal in the first place; the self belief and sticking to his dreams that turned him into the goalkeeper and person he is today. For that to happen, he has taught himself to deal with the condition and the self discipline and concentration levels that are needed to play at the highest tiers of football in the specialist position of goalkeeper.

And with this in mind, I would go as far as a so-called 'disability' has actually enabled him to play at the level his capable of, as it pushes him to concentrate and focus on the game more than say perhaps someone with 'normal' neurology. Not that I have a wealth of understanding of the specifics, but from a performance analysing perspective seems to definitely be the case.

What we learnt from Rio: Neuer is boss

Or something like that for a title!

Whilst we saw Brazil bow out in a way that the people of that fine footballing country wouldn't have been happy about, we did get to see a new breed of goalkeeper dominating the World Cup. Germany pretty much steamrolled there way to the finals and the cup, but in part had a lot to thank there goalkeeper for. A mix of fine committed defending combined with a goalkeeper more than happy to meet the ball and make mind-blowing interceptions outside of his box, worked together to create one of the best defensive units in the world.

As football observers, we have seen and grown used to, a style of German football that is more tactical, disciplined and robust than anything else. Big, physical and technical to the bone, rather than creative and skillful; the kind of style of football that Brazil historically hates to go up against, which showed in their undoing as the Germans went on to demolish them on home turf. Something unbelievable and yet real. The style of German football (much like their hockey too) wins games and is great for the tactician, but for 'total football' fans, it's hard to watch without that spark of inspiration a player like Neymar can produce.

 But here is a goalkeeper doing something not exactly associated with this style. Within this mould, the goalkeeper would be expected to sit deep in the area and let the play come to them, rather than forcing it and coming undone by rushing the attack and over thinking and acting irrationally. Strangely enough, this is what Robert Enke (Neuer's predecessor) believed in; with his knee down block save to protect against the much hated shot between the legs on the breakaway. And yet, here is a goalkeeper being ridiculously radical and taking the position of goalkeeper so far it looks like he's playing in the original format when the game started; an outfield player with gloves on!

Pushed out of his comfort zone by Guardola at Bayern Munich, a few tweaks and refinements here and there have turned this typically statured German machine into a sweeper keeper that is pushing the limits on what is expected of goalkeepers and in turn, what they are truly capable of.

A lot of this has to do with Neuer's confidence, which looks sky high. Self assured and more than happy to play this way, he dominates mentally as well as in his play. I for one (seem to have a habit of being wrong!) never thought Neuer would grow to be this confident or solid as a sweeper-come-goalkeeper. In his first World Cup outing he looked pretty shaky, especially at corners, but over time, he has started to show he amazing he really is.

He was especially sweeper like in the game against Algeria. And more so, was showing a streak of attacking play not even seen in any other goalkeeper on the planet right now (yes, it's true!). Playing high up in his box, he got his defenders to channel the attacker, before timing his run perfectly to reach the ball outside the area! And this involved a bit of sliding in (like Vorm), headering away (Casillas/Lloris) and some neat trickery. But his regular use of this radical style of goalkeeping; attacking the pass rather than trying to go for the save (like those in the Ochoa camp of support and thinking), totally pushing boundaries on what to expect of goalkeepers.

What does this mean for the future of goalkeeping?
Just to try and round this all up without writing pages and reems of analysis, it seems worth summing up what Neuer brings to the table and what can be learned:

• Self confidence is crucial for the goalkeeper to perform at their best
• Attacks can actively be shut down by the goalkeeper outside (!) the area; this is something only Neuer really does and stands out incredibly
• A high positioning in the box is needed in order to do this

Can this shape the next generation of goalkeepers? Yes, definitely, however I don't see all goalkeepers following this model. Not all teams play in a shape like this or need their goalkeeper to, so would be unnecessary, plus the goalkeeper needs to be comfortable with their feet and able to read the game to the highest levels. And Neuer is a unique individual. Just as Lloris is one of (if not THE) fastest goalkeeper I have ever witnessed coming off his line to intercept, so is Neuer in his positional play.

As long as Neuer keeps playing like he does, so goalkeepers can rejoice in dismantling those bad jokes about us not being able to play anywhere else on the pitch, and also to redefine how we play!!

Super Krul needed against Argentina

After all the talk about much Van Gaal is after taking an uncertain Dutch squad to the World Cup semi-finals and finishing third, one wonders why he didn't bother throwing the dice so to speak against Argentina. After subbing on Tim Krul to star in the penalty shootout that took them to the semi-finals, he bottled it and made the switch to bring on Huntelaar, who then got carded and failed to create any solid goal scoring opportunities. Tongue in cheek (still wonder if had anything to do with needing to leave Rio to start Man United's pre-season early) aside, after making the switch against .

It wasn't just the extra reach that evaded Jasper, but also the positivity. Once he got his head down, he struggled to perform anything close to the three point winning save against Spain in the first game or some of his other notable saves. Krul was 'pumped' against Costa Rica, his confidence over flowing as he made save after save to take his team through. And Holland had nothing to lose. Clearly Jasper wasn't as good at penalties (not all of the goalkeepers at the World Cup have proven themselves as penalty specialists), and Tim offered them a better option.

Jasper seemed to be the man for the 90 minutes; playing as a solid sweeper (the tuck back on show many times to annoy the opposing forward trying to hassle him - looking at you Aguero!) as well as shot stopper (coming out and looking big, like against Spain). But Krul shone in the penalty shootout. As Argentina snuck through with a goalkeeper that has played all of four (yes, four domestic games this season in Ligue 1!), there's always going to be that 'what-if' question mark as to whether Van Gaal could have made the same tactical switch yet again...

Ochoa: worth the hype?

With Rio almost over, and my thoughts late as always (I blame my current health; more on that another time...), there have been some sparkling goalkeeping performances that have drawn much attention from fans and media all around the world. And one goalkeeper that stood out in particular was Ochoa. With his reaching stops to deny Neymar and keep Mexico in the game, or palming away unsighted shots at free kicks, it's not a surprise that praise bordered on cult worship as Internet mems popped up all over the place!

But in a world where everything is uber hyped and then smashed to smithereens in the celebrity, it's important to reflect over whether or not there is too much hype for Ocha. And the bottom line is simple: Ochoa plays in a way that makes his look miraculous, impossible and jaw dropping. The fact he has the rare reaction speeds (like a cat!) and his level of athleticism are incredibly important to this; almost a football like version of Felix Potvin.

By positioning properly - which can be easily missed by goalies and players alike - is essential to achieving this. This is his style: each goalkeeper is unique and whilst there may be 'systems' or 'models' that work, ultimately he is working with his natural abilities to play as a goalkeeper - that with a bit of refining, could be truly world class. By staying so deep he gives himself those extra seconds to react (given the speed of the ball, this is longer than a 113mph puck etc.) and at the same time means he has further to stretch, forcing him to be so athletic. When combined together, these two traits executed properly equate to produce an athletic goalkeeper that purposefully sets up for the expected angle of shot to then save. A lot like Martin Brodeur's approach: offering visual shooting space that you want the player to go for, before taking it away!

Of course for the armchair fan (that would think Ochoa is a god as a result) it can be easy not to know this. And . If Ochoa wants to make the leap to playing in the Premier League, then he will have to adjust to the physicality and control of his area needed to play in this sort of arena. Just as De Gea struggles still with English football in spite of those ridiculous almost impossible saves reaching out at the last moment for the fingertip full extension save, so Ochoa needs to be more than a one trick pony to make it to that stage. That's not too say that he couldn't or even can't, but if a Premier League team decides to snatch him up after his Rio theatrics (being a free agent after his deal with Ajaccio ended), he may have trouble straightaway if he doesn't work to adapt to the style of game and   to finetune what he has got already working for him.

Areas Ochoa is already strong in:

• One on one's - this is a difficult area that a lot of goalkeepers struggle with, but is so important at a level where breakaways are regular. Like Valdes' success in a system that sees these odd man rushes, Ochoa is the opposite, struggling behind a poor defensive line. Either way, he is very good at closing down the angle and looking big for the block, also working on Enke's idea behind the knee block to close the '5 hole' gap between the legs which shooters look to exploit.
• Free kicks - Ochoa is aware tactically of the need to set his wall up properly, with the angle being set to aid in his save making; staying deep behind the wall to make the stop expecting it to loop over. However, he might need little adjustments for playing in England or other stronger European Leagues.
• Double saves - Ocha is incredibly quick coming out just as much as he is in recovering for the next stop, with an 'in the zone' mentality to keep everything out. Multiple save series were regular in his World Cup performances for the highlight reel.

Areas that will need improvement:

• Control of his area - not always vocal, Ochoa plays more conservatively than the modern goalkeeper sitting deep in his box in regular play just as in his goalkeeping style. Ochoa could work on being confident and commanding, as seen in Chile's Bravo (who is now at Barca) and Neuer
• Distribution - Ochoa cannot currently play as a sweeper or as an outlet option; his kicks need to be more pinpoint and  to pick out players free on the counter attack to achieve the high tier expectations of the world's elite goalkeepers
• Catching - 'pop outs' are something that are definitely exploited by attackers in the Premier League, and Ochoa would need to work on his catching and decision making. If he has time to make the catch then he shouldn't punch and would need to work on holding the ball rather than letting it rebound out with hard hands, in case of secondary scoring opportunities.

Foster solid against Costa Rica

Even though England were dumped out of the World Cup easily in the first rounds, it was a good experience for West Brom's goalkeeper Ben Foster. Ben, who like starter Joe Hart, had a key season on loan at Birmingham that helped cement his development into a solid goalkeeper, showed a mix of the simple and the elite in his outing against Costa Rica. Whilst it seemed an odd choice to start him in goal after Hart's struggles to reach his peak and Foster being closer to retirement age come the next World Cup tournament, he repaid the coach's trust in him with an outstanding performance.

Mixing a series of athletic diving saves to reach the ball, with some solid positioning that made his catches look easier than they are, he showed the hybrid approach of fulfilling multiple roles and jobs, which is needed of a goalkeeper at the highest tier of football. Commanding as well as calm and unfazed at the right times, he also showed a cool head and mental balance that is required to play at this level. Gone are the days when England fans would expect to hide under the sofa as the goalkeeper got on the wrong end of a humiliating blunder, and there were no mistakes or slip-ups Foster made that would have cost his team.

West Brom, who have a lot to thank Foster for, in keeping them in it for every game of the season, are in a great position going foward, starting out strong from the back. Whilst the numbers and stats might not have been in his favour in the league table, Ben did have a very strong outing last season and was one of the top performing goalkeepers in the Premier league as he gave them a chance to compete all season long.

So to summarise, here are some thoughts:

• Foster has a very strong technical foundation that allows him to make the difficult saves look easy, as well as being able to make the simple saves without a mental barrier
• Has great self confidence and calmness which allows him to achieve clean sheets
• He is a leader, with a strong command of his area and his defenders
• A team player, he will fight for the win and compete intensively
• Can do the various aspects of being an elite goalkeeper