Cesar Sanchez…King of Spanish Goalkeeping?

Goalkeepers often talk about Iker Casillas as being the best Spanish goalkeeper of his generation. But there is another Spanish goalkeeper who holds the name and the clout to make Casillas shake in his boots. When I stumbled across this video of the Real Zaragoza shot stopper in action I was smacked upside the head. Sanchez is certainly not the most graceful goalkeeper, but he certainly has the brilliant ability to attack his opposition with the guile and cunning of a fox as the following video shows.

We mentioned in a previous post how important it is for the competitive goalkeeper to be able to attack the ball at a players feet, and how difficult this action can sometimes be. Here are a few extra tips you can use to make this action more effective:

• Keep Your Eye On The Ball: This means never turning away, or closing the eyes (a natural reaction during a one to one situation). In moving toward the oppositions goalkeeper, maintaining a good angle that restricts the attackers view of goal, and focusing on the ball at the feet will be extremely effective.

• Follow Through: Using momentum, any goalkeeper should continue to follow through the movement of attacking at the feet. What this means is the goalkeeper should never stop-start his run, rather, time it effectively and follow through in one clinical sweep at the ball.

• Measure Your Opponent: Never try to just match the speed of your attacker. Goalkeepers should endeavour to be quicker than the attacking play (this is where agility comes into action). Being able to measure the speed of your opponent, and attack when the time is right will be more effective than just making a half hearted effort.

Take something away from the video of Cesar Sanchez. I think you’d be hard pressed to find goalkeepers these days being as brave as what Sanchez displays in his goalkeeping effort and the above video.

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