Saturday 2 August 2014

PC troubles: decision making

As expected of this level of play, the main scoring chances at the Commonwealth Games have come from penalty corners. A high conversion rate at corners is what the sides should be achieving in any case, but the goalkeepers playing seem to have struggled slightly adding to this.

Here are some quick thoughts, from which I hope to follow up with in more detail:


  • Pinner has gone the wrong way a few times, committing to the other side of goal and then taking himself out of the play, unable to make the save. His style is based around staying at his goal line and waiting as late as possible to react, but this is counter-productive if he is not making the 'read' properly as it means he can do little to make the save, if already going to the wrong side. Against SA he also failed to reach a high ball to his right, which isn't like him normally, and in the semi-final playoff, struggling to reach out low to his right - just above the pitch - which is a bit of a PITA for goalies in the first place.
  • Cachia went down a little early against Australia leaving him out of the play on the follow-up. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/commonwealth-games/28583104 From the outset it looks like he reacted wrongly totally, but is actually a great save getting across having shifted his body weight right (again, going the way wrong being the cause). The flicks against India he could do little about though, as they were pinpoint accuracy and out of reach. A lot like when Taekema was playing for Holland and on form, 
  • Gibson seemed to really struggle against India especially; partly from decision making and partly on reading the flick itself.
  • Carter has been pretty strong against corners, using his athleticism to his advantage. A few have got past him, but can be difficult to turn the glove during the dive for the save.
  • Kettle was a rock for Wales, and generally excelled against corners. He seemed to have a problem reaching out mid/high to his rhp diving out in extension, but this could have been countered with the tactical decision to get a postman to his right post to cover the space visually from the drag flicker, and with great pace can be really difficult to get behind when reaching out.

2 comments:

  1. Did you not see Wales v Scotland? Wales would have done better on Penalty Corners if they had put a cone in goal.

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  2. Only if the cone was levitating... the majority of goals were off the floor, so a cone wouldn't have been much good. Ketts got beaten by millimetres just outside his glove mostly in his first couple of games anyway.

    And that would be more down to tactics and the defenders than the goalkeeper's performance. Haven't had a chance to write much more than this.

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