Sunday, 4 May 2014

Season in review: Cachia definitely able but luck not on his side...

With goalkeepers putting in some great performaces over the course of the season, one who really stood out among the pack was Sheffield's Jamie Cachia. When it came to Sheffield's eventual demotion from the Premier league after their promotion to the division for their first time, fingers cannot exactly be pointed at their man 'between the posts': their very own Scotland international goalkeeping talent. Unfair to shoulder the blame for their misfortune, Cachia's play was unquestionably strong. A determined foe for attacking forwards, he make life difficult for his opponents whilst being a rock for his team.

Confident in his save making ability, this gave his team mates the confidence to push forward on the attack, as shown in the playoffs not so long ago.

'Putting on a clinic' as they say in the States, Cachia is one to watch in terms of learning from; with his technical game and approach to making these key saves at key points, as the clip below illustrates:



Cachia had some great MOTM performances this season. Take for instance the away game against Reading. Only conceding two, Cachia made some great saves at key points in the game where it could have turned in the Berkshire side's favour. Vladislav Tretiak (the famous Russian goaltender) believed in the concept of 'clutch goalkeeping' where the goalkeeper got into a rhythm of shot stopping for key points in the game rather than just the idea of having one major save at the end of the game, or making every save, for example.

It's these kinds of saves that give your team mates that psychological boost to continue fighting on and battle. And it's this extra role that you can play as a goalkeeper in inspiring your team mates. Called 'momentum changes' for a reason, they can have a great impact on whether you lose or grind out a draw say. A lot to encourage you to play 'all out' every game!! 


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