How important are goalkeepers?

Art Morte wrote:Thanks for the replies.

Many have pointed out that a great 'keeper can win you games. Agreed, but so can great outfield players, too.

For the sake of debate, if your team had no 1st choice GK and no 1st choice striker, which of these two combinations would you choose?

1. Casillas + Bendtner
2. Hennessey + Eto'o

Casillas + Bendtner, attackers win games, defense wins championships.

Eto for all his glory could not help Inter when Julio Ceasar was in a horrible confidence problem period.

Buffon in the World Cup of 2006 shows how important goalkeepers are.

I have always said it does not matter if you have a striker putting in 5 goals a game if you have a goalkeeper letting in six.

neuer kept making save after save against united out but raul couldn't capitalize

It depends on the playing style of the team and the back four. A defensive team allows less shots on target= easier job for the goalkeeper but mistakes could turn costly :lol!:
Offensive teams rely on their goalkeepers a lot, if the defence is sh!tty then even more
Possession teams like Farca or Bayern don't allow teams to get near their box= easy job for goalkeepers

A top keeper is worth upwards of 9 points a season, IMO.

It's not simply the game-saving stops and such that factor into it. What sets a great keeper apart from a bad or even good one is his all-around skill set; concentration, organization, distribution, and yes, reflexes and the other abilities needed to pull of the nigh-impossible stops. A great keeper organizes his backline, gives the defenders the confidence they need to play at their maximum, and has the vision and intelligence to be in the places to make sure that more often than not a diving save isn't necessary when said defenders do occasionally slip up. The difference between having Reina and, let's say Jones to keep it in-house, can be the difference between a quick counter attack and conceded possession in midfield due to their differences in distribution.


As for the comparison with an outfield player (in this case a striker), you have to take into account the fact that goalkeepers tend to play every game they are fit for and even many that they aren't necessary fit in (playing with a double hernia, for example) whereas strikers and other outfield players will be rotated and rested. Due to this fact alone, a keeper tends to have more opportunities to influence a club's season. Further, while a off-form striker can be balanced by other players on the pitch or in the squad, it is much, much more difficult to have a second keeper of similar quality as backup to the starter, therefore if a club's starting keeper is not of adequate quality and/or consistency, it can have a much more damaging effect on the club's fortunes for that season. Also, while having a better striker may indeed garner extra goals and by extension points, it does not (usually) raise the level of team performance in the same way that having a better keeper does. A good keeper's ability to give a backline direction and confidence is not to be underestimated.