Why Goalkeepers Are Killing the Vibes of Modern Football. Is Gasperini right?

At the press conference before Juventus-Roma, Gasperini returned to the issue of goalkeepers: leaning back too much is not good for football. 

“Stop Killing the Game”: Gasperini Calls Out Slow, Goalkeepers warned

Football need to find a way to speed things up. It’s Gasperini message about goalkeepers situation. As we all know, from this season there is the 8-second rule, which is not applied very often. But the Roma’s manager suggested another rule that should be introduced when the ball is handled by the goalkeeper, because it can take up to 30 seconds before the ball is played by other members of the team.

Perhaps football need to try to reduce the time the goalkeeper has the ball. As an example, Gasperini highlighted how the Como goalkeeper had the ball 51 times against Inter. People don’t like that. Football is about playing forward. Okay, ball possession is a must, but the public wants to see tackles, dribbling and a team that attacks. The risk is that football will become less attractive, perhaps similar to futsal: fun to play but unpleasant to watch. As football lovers, there must be a way to limit these goalkeeper plays.

Goalkeepers Are The New Playmakers And Time-wasters according to Gasp

The situation analysed by Gasperini is true. Today’s game relies heavily on the goalkeeper, especially when a team faces an opponent that presses high man-to-man, and therefore the goalkeeper becomes the only player free from marking who can manage the ball in a more lucid way.

What is controversial, however, is that the goalkeeper is currently the player who has the ball at his disposal for the longest amount of time. This does not only mean the number of extra touches he makes compared to the past, but also the time that passes between receiving a pass and making one.

The Stats Don’t Lie: Goalkeepers Have All the Time in the World

According to recent studies, with the ball in play, i.e. excluding set pieces, the goalkeeper has an average of 4.3 seconds at his disposal when he has the ball at his feet. All other positions, including midfielders, do not reach that number.

By way of comparison, in the Premier League last season, Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson was the player who kept the ball at his feet the most. In contrast, Casemiro is second to last in this special ranking. 

The paradox is that in today’s football, the player who has the most time to manage the ball is, theoretically, the least skilled at doing so. Are there any signs of change in the rules?