Goalkeeper distribution & ball rentention

[Pompey_Dan]

After studying 50 English Premier League matches played out by the Football Manager match engine I noticed how often long goal kicks resulted in a turn around of possession. In fact less than a third of the long kicks taken reached their intended target, whilst the percentage of successful short kicks (or throw outs) by the goalkeeper was in the high nineties.

So when I compared between the goalkeeper's pass completion rate in each game with their respective team's overall possession I found an interesting pattern...

In all but one game the team who achieved 50% possession or more saw their goalkeeper successfully complete at least 50% of their passes.

Full article​

What instructions do you give your goalkeeper when distributing the ball? Have you noticed this have a positive effect on your team's pattern of play and ball retention?

 

[wkdsoul]

I always have him short kick it to a full back, depending which is better.. The full back usually has the pass options of CB, DMC, MC, AML/R. or a through ball if we're deep enough either the AMC/AML/R or forward is making a run.

I always tend to restrain my keeper from kicking long, Eriksson used to fine Joe Hart if he did it without being under pressure when he managed MCFC.

 

[Pompey_Dan]

of course the reverse is also true - faced with an opponent that uses short GK distribution you can push up on his defenders to force them to panic/lose the ball or the goalkeeper to kick it long (which we know is ineffectual!)

It's interesting to note that in the article I found out the team's that averaged more than 50% possession also faced more long kicks from the opposing goalkeepers.