The sweeper-keeper is redefining soccer’s sense of risk | Jonathan Wilson

André Onana has had a miserable start to life at Manchester United, but his struggles are emblematic of a broader shift in the sport

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Johan Cruyff believed soccer was too obsessed by obvious mistakes, by what looked embarrassing. What did it matter, he asked, if his goalkeeper was caught out of position a couple of times a season if the risk of playing a long way from goal contributed to a better structure overall? It was a line he used repeatedly to defend Stanley Menzo, his goalkeeper when he was Ajax manager in the late 80s, at a time when sweeper-keepers were still rare.

The change in the backpass law in 1992 meant that goalkeepers had to improve with the ball at their feet and, as more and more teams began to use a high press, it became almost essential for elite-level keepers to be comfortable operating outside their box, not only protecting the space behind a high line but also being able to initiate attacks. That’s the orthodoxy, and nobody would doubt that keepers like Ederson (Manchester City), Alisson (Liverpool), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich) and Marc-André ter Stegen (Barcelona) have been vital to their clubs’ successes in recent years.

This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly look from the Guardian US at the game in Europe and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Have a question for Jonathan? Email soccerwithjw@theguardian.com, and he’ll answer the best in a future edition Continue reading...

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