Any on here play in goal? Is it unfashionable to actual catch the ball from crosses now? Collins punch cost us a goal and Pickford just done the same...
I’m a keeper and went walk about last night at a corner so neither caught nor punched! Did pull off one absolute worldie of a save though and just conceded the one.
My mentality is always to punch it. But that’s more due to a lack of practice and not being a regular player. I think maybe the decision to punch these days is because as many goals are conceded over a season through fumbled catches? Just get the ball away and be set for the next phase.
Punching the ball instead of catching has been discussed since it was thought to be the continental style of keeping back in the 80’s with the colins punch in the playoffs as he wasn’t challenged and the height of the ball he should have gone to catch but he may have seen a threat to the space and made his choice which then didn’t happen making his choice look poor and if your talking about the Pickford one where he ended up on the floor then it was the correct choice to punch because if he’d tried to catch it would have probably ended with him spilling it with the contact with the defender and then the ball being lose closer to the goal punching created distance and time for defenders to regroup and defend the line as they did
The ref cost us the goal, it was a clear foul on Helik but he inexplicably gave it the other way. But yes he should have caught it.
Seems to me keepers are coached to punch to the point of just doing it on instinct now. With the ball as light as they are punching can be very effective. Takes judgement to see when it's actually more sensible to catch the ball and relieve the pressure. My humble opinion is if you can get two hands on the ball under no pressure you should be catching it.
Keepers are coached to punch as opposed to catching as a mistimed punch is less likely to be costly than a fumbled catch. That’s the theory anyway
I play in goal, and I've never caught a ball in my life. Tried punching a few and that didn't work for me either. Better at shot stopping (usually with my legs) so it's better for me if I don't challenge at corners, and concentrate on saving any shots that result from it
Used to be a keeper. When a wet casey was fired at me I didn’t think about punching or catching. Just prayed that whatever contact was made didn’t snap a few fingers off.
I played in goal three times. A 5-3 loss then a 7-1 drubbing both in pre-season and a 8-2 drubbing first game of the normal season. Didn't play in goal again and it went against me at the club. It was particularly harsh because I was a striker come winger that just put his hand up to go in goal finding out the hard way there is a difference between a shot stopper showing off and a goalkeeper. They hardly played me at all after that. Just the odd 20 minutes here and there. Must have assumed I was **** outfield on the strength of performances in goal.
Collins did have one or two games this season where he caught the ball successfully but then seemed to revert back to punch at all cost. Coming out as sweeper keeper I thought he would **** up and thought for the number of times he was doing it, that one mistake that led to a goal would be Okay IMO, He didn`t **** up at that it was punching rather than catching that cost us dearly in the most important match of the season.
