Leigh Richmond Roose will be remembered as a goalkeeper who has changed the way a goalkeeper plays. Until 1912, he often threw a ball to the middle of the field to start an attack. The rules at that time did allow a goalkeeper to “touch” the ball as far as the half of the field as long as he did not “carry” it.
Many opposing players were upset because they insisted that what Roose did was cheating. The FA heard this complaint. The summer of 1912 was the first time when a goalkeeper was limited to touching the ball only as far as his own penalty box.
A drastic change in ruling the goalkeeper’s move had practically never happened since 1992. At that time, along with the launch of the Premier League, goalkeepers were required to follow new rules that would change their lives. Back pass rules are applied. A goalkeeper cannot touch the ball by hand when receiving the ball from a teammate.
The development of how a goalkeeper should play was getting better. This development reached a “new level” when Ederson fooled Troy Deeney with a no-look pass to Vincent Kompany. The English football columnist even mentioned Ederson as “a midfielder with a glove”.
A goalkeeper, despite wearing a different uniform among his teammate, now really has to be involved in a team game. It has become the part of the defense strategy for each team to have a goalkeeper who is comfortable in keeping a wide area behind the defender’s line.
One of Johan Cruyff’s instructions for his goalkeeper was that they had to find space from the very end, then kept shouting and giving direction, then make a rescue if it was needed.
That was why Pep Guardiola felt the need to replace Joe Hart when he arrived at Manchester City. Hart was clearly not good enough when his feet were holding the ball. A goalkeeper, for Guardiola, should be good at saving and skillful in baiting.
Ederson was able to do it. No one knows who would be the best Premier League feeder of the season, Kepa, Ederson or Alisson. But it is clear that the three of them were a new generation of goalkeepers who were able to bait, initiate attacks, and set the tempo from behind.
Ederson grew up idolizing Rogerio Ceni, who was the best goalkeeper in the world because he had scored 131 goals throughout his career. Since on the Sao Paulo U-13 team, the coaching team has been amazed by the precision of Ederson’s pass when he got the ball.
Then at the age of 16, he flew to Benfica. After undergoing a contract period at Ribeirao and Rio Ave, he then entered the main team. In Benfica’s senior team, he competed with senior goalkeeper Julio Cesar and began to get attention from Guardiola. City then met Guardiola’s request to recruit Ederson in 2017.
Since joining City with the status of the most expensive Premier League goalkeeper at that time, Ederson silenced every criticism one by one. He could appear cleverly as a goalkeeper who did a variety of rescue while showing his skill when mastering the ball.
One special thing from Ederson is that his stomach bait is also accurate. So, many City’s opponents are struggling because they have pressed Ederson while holding the ball because he is able to give feedback with high accuracy.
Ederson was lucky to have ever played futsal and experienced the left back position. These two experiences greatly contributed to making a sticky ball in his left leg. The trend that a goalkeeper must be able to play with his feet seems to be going to be popular in the future.
Since the rule changes in 1912, then in 1992, a goalkeeper has indeed continued to change. Now, football has reached a point when a goalkeeper is as valuable as a midfielder. Football is now played by 11 outfield players, one of whom may use his hand.
