Valdes can be great for United

By acquiring the services of newly ex-Barca goalkeeper, Manchester United not only managed to deny any opponents points by getting him on the team sheet themselves, but more importantly potentially provided Van Gaal with the cure to his current problem. Should he be brave enough to risk it, Van Gaal has at his disposal a veteran goalkeeper who just happens to be one of the best distributors of the ball in the game from in between the posts. To anyone outside the club, this looks to be a Harry Redknapp style bargain transfer deal. And yet, he hasn't yet featured in a game yet, even that of a less important cup fixture.

Everyone knows that Van Gaal prefers the Ajax system of which the newly appointed predecessor to Moyes and Ferguson is looking to implement in North West England (after all, he was a central fit to establishing it in the first place!), and Valdes as a goalkeeper can easily become the missing link in a system that revolves around ball retention and link play to create a constant press high up the pitch whilst keeping possession. Therefore a goalkeeper in this system has to be good at their feet. The very thing Valdes is famed for. Yes, that's right; the proverbial modern 'sweeper keeper' that is becoming more and more popular with the likes of Neuer pushing it to its limits and Ter Stegen (another not-so-typical German goalie, both seemingly fighting for the no1 shirt soon enough) shifting the ball from both feet.

It is pretty obvious then that Van Gaal chooses his goalkeepers to fit the system off ball retention and pushing high up the pitch, with the skillset to match; hence why Krul was saved for penalties and why Cillissen got the starts, due to his abilities in playing the ball and in 1-on-1 situations (which arise from a high line and gaps opening up for attackers to slip through). Ironically Vorm can do both; known for his penalty killing abilities alongside his inarguable sweeping technique, but it seemed coaching staff were more worried about injury concerns and not being involved in the qualifying stages for the team to be used to him.

Anyway, for a manager that is happy to take the risk of switching goalkeepers going into extra time in a World Cup semi-final of all things, gambling on the penalty saving skills of that choice, with the chips down on a shootout, for it to pay off, I can't see what the problem is. Whilst De Gea has been amazing (those saves stemming from his deep positioning and athletic style), he is a totally different style of goalkeeper than Valdes, and without Victor, Van Gaal's system won't work as well as it can.

Teams that have missed out on Valdes

With Valdes signing for Man United in the January transfer window, after rehabbing his season and career ending injury (at least in terms of encouraging his move away!) at Barcelona, in a move similar to that of Craig Gordon making a comeback at Celtic, it is worth looking back at other teams that could or should have made a move for him, and why.

• Liverpool

Other than struggling with crosses and save making compared to his breakout season with the club where it looked like he could take them to a title finish (), Mignolet isn't too confident playingan outlet pass from the back and doesn't look too comfortable playing behind a high line. Unfortunately for him, this is something that works well for the team under Brendan Rogers and is likely to be difficult in the long run. Ironically this is the same role that Reina provided (now content to simply warm the bunch for that well known Ballon D'Or contendor at Munich) and played so well in when he was at the Kop. However, instead of simply bringing him back into the fold, Liverpudlian management have made a major boob losing his services. Not only is he a suitable shot stopper, Valdes would be a perfect fit for a team that needs their goalkeeper to have the feet of a midfielder.

• Arsenal

Given that Wenger finally gave Ospina his first Premier League start after a long wait without much playing time to adjust to the British game on loan or for the U21's, it seems the veteran French manager may finally take a gamble on his goalkeeping options. With dissent supposed to be brewing in the dressing room and a calmer head needed for their goalkeeper of choice, Valdes could capably bring more to the table than others. With Martinez getting bench time after a strong oan time at Sheffield Wednesday,it's safe to say they could cash in on their Polish star and reuse funds to invest in a new strikeforce perhaps. After all, the Gunners are another team that love to push forward, with a fair amount of fans screaming at the missed chance to bring in Lloris against their rivals, who are currently loving his sweeper keeping successes (with Vorm also brought in to fill that role in Europe and cup games).

•  Leicester or Southampton

Victor has made it pretty clear that he wants to try out pastures nwe and see more of the world after a long and famous career as franchise goalkeeper at Barcelona. With Ter Stegen proving easily how much of a dab hand (or foot should I say!) moving the ball accurately from both feet - you wouldn't believe how rare this is for a top class 'keeper, thus making him much of a keeper for the Catalans down the road! Monaco are doing fine with their bargain, underrated Slovak, Sirigu has solidified his spot, so unless he fancies a trip State side, the UK would be a good start.

A very outfield theory, but the newly promoted side are in dire need of goalkeepers with Schmeichel injured.

Personally, I think he would make a great starter at Southampton. Pochettini set up the groundworks for a high line needing a sweeper keeper, and Valdes can offer this in spades. Doing well and likely to want to try their hand at European competition, Valdes' veteran experiences in the Champions League would be so useful. That and he could provide suitable tutelage to Gazzaniga he has proven his own sweeper abilities and could have the mentorship of Victor to iron out the technique, sometimes getting caught on the backfoot by his communication skills with his defenders, instead of pushing up to clear.

For now, that's all I can really think of, as there aren't too many top tier teams looking for a goalkeeper, and Real Madrid might not want to take on a previous player of their arch rivals!

Ter Stegen looks all set for Barca ...

With pre-season well under way for teams across the globe, Marc Andre ter Stegen has had a great opportunity to show off his talents and stake his claim for first team football. As yet, I don't have a clear idea who the Spanish side's decided choice is, but ter Stegen is not one to sit on the bench. Having played non-stop for Borrussia Mochengladbach, and starting every single league game for them after fighting his way onto the team sheet, I can't see why he would have gone to all this effort just to warm the bench. A clear competitor (in the mould of notable German goalies throughout history), I still have no idea why Bravo joined, given his vastly differing style of goalkeeping.

ter Stegen is clearly happy to play as a sweeper, as shown by his performances in the Bundesliga and internationally, and this is the exact style of goalkeeper Barcelona want. As a like for like replacement for departing Valdes, he can easily play the ball with either foot, but even more so, is happy to pass like a midfielder from his box. Buzzing with confidence and a high energy/confident goalkeeper, has a higher starting position than Valdes, he should also be able to come out strongly on one man rushes and to intercept far outside his area.

Adding extra dimensions with his accuracy in passing and his ability to pass the ball to either wing with ease because of his comfortable ability to play the ball with left or right, he could go on to have an even greater career than the goalkeeper he has been brought in to replace. A penalty shot killer (see him versus Messi as an example) and strong on 1-on-1's as well as a keen battler, he has a lot to give, and could be challenging the world's top five in the not so distant future.

As you can see in this clip, in a warm-up friendly, you can see how quickly he has adapted to the style and role Barca want him to play in. Pinging the ball out to the wings for attacks to start, he is also clearly happy to maintain possession by playing the goal kick short and then rotating ball possession (like you would see in Dutch 'total football' or at Ajax and under Van Jaal). His defenders are clearly confident in his kicking skills and happy to pass back to him knowing he will get the ball out safely, as you can see numerous times with the defender turning around straightaway to give the ball back to him.

It's also easy to spot how ambidextrous he is, able to pass the ball out with distance, height and accuracy. This helps mark him out and increase his worth as this style of goalkeeper.

I don't think it will be long until he starts challenging Neuer for the sweeper and German crowns, and he clearly has bags of potential going forward this season and into the future. The future of the modern goalkeeper looks bright and I'll eagerly be waiting to see how it all turns out!

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.