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:
Areas that will need improvement:
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.
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