Why Goalkeepers Are Going Long – The Athletic FC Podcast

Episode Date: October 12, 2025

Host: Duncan Alexander
Guests: Mark Carey, Michael Cox

Overview

This episode centers on the evolution of goalkeeper distribution in football, particularly the trend of keepers increasingly opting to "go long" with their kicks and passes. The discussion explores recent statistical shifts in goalkeepers' decision-making, tactical repercussions for teams, and how player techniques and evolving rules are shaping the modern game.

Key Discussion Points

1. The Resurgence of Long Goalkeeper Distribution

• Statistical Trends
  • Mark Carey reveals that 52% of goalkeepers are going long this season, up from 47% in the past two seasons. While lower than the 69% peak in 2018/19, it's a notable recent increase. (03:00)
    • Quote: “Goalkeepers were going long the majority of the time, 69% of the time in the 2019 season...that’s only six or seven seasons ago.” – Mark Carey [03:00]
• Rule Changes & Impact
  • The 2019 rule allowing goal kicks to be received inside the penalty area influenced not only a shift towards short distribution, but also, paradoxically, made long kicks more viable by stretching the pitch and creating additional space. (04:38)
    • Quote: “The pitch has become completely spread out...that’s created more space, particularly in the midfield zone.” – Michael Cox [04:38]
  • Teams sometimes have centre-backs take long goal kicks for misdirection—a throwback to 1990s football. (06:23)

2. Qualitative Change: From Hoofs to Passes

• Intentionality & Technique
  • The discussion delineates between "long punts" (hopeful, percentage balls) of past decades and today’s targeted, technical long passes. Players are now capable of controlling and exploiting these passes for immediate attacking scenarios. (09:09)
    • Quote: “It’s a long ball, but it’s not. It’s a really good through ball.” – Michael Cox, on Hannah Hampton’s assist at the Women’s Euros [12:01]
• Metrics Support the Narrative
  • Opta’s “goalkeeper hoof” stat has halved since 2018/19, indicating fewer aimless clearances and more purposeful long passes. (10:57)
    • Quote: “That’s now at 0.9 per 90. So nearly halved...it’s actually being targeted now.” – Mark Carey [10:57]
• Creativity from the Back
  • Noted examples include Ederson’s record four assists in a season and Mitoma’s goals for Brighton originating from pinpoint long kicks. (12:52, 09:19)

3. International and League Comparisons

• Despite its reputation, Spain’s La Liga is currently the most direct “long goal kick” league, beating out even the Premier League. (07:15)
  • Quote: “Spain...is actually the most direct league in terms of getting the ball forwards from goal kicks.” – Michael Cox [07:50]

4. Rule Influences: The Eight Second Law

• The newer eight-second rule for distributing the ball increases the pace but has had limited enforcement so far (Martin Dubravka is the only punished Premier League keeper). Etiquette and subversion, like holding onto the ball for four seconds and then dropping it, are discussed. (15:28)
  • Quote: "I think the refs are more likely to give it because giving an indirect free kick was quite a big punishment for something that doesn't really matter." – Michael Cox [16:17]

5. Profile of Players and Teams Going Long

• Promoted clubs' goalkeepers top Europe for the percentage of long kicks, showing a pragmatic approach to survival. (17:16)
• The physical and technical profiles of strikers matter; players like Haaland, Ivan Toney, and Chris Wood are cited as effective targets, but Michael Cox remains skeptical about the reliance on big "number nines." (29:57, 31:33)
  • Quote: “I still don’t think a long goal kick to a striker’s head is that useful... Players are good with their chest, are very useful in these situations.” – Michael Cox [31:33]

6. Second Balls and Tactical Nuances

• Teams invest considerably in winning “second balls” following long kicks—something even elite coaches like Pep Guardiola train for, as first highlighted by Xabi Alonso. The skill of securing possession after the initial contest is highlighted as pivotal. (32:34)
  • Quote: “You’ve got to control the second balls and the third balls and the fourth balls.” – Michael Cox, paraphrasing Xabi Alonso [32:34]
• The distribution of long balls is now designed to isolate defenders and allow attackers to exploit space—a very different approach from just launching into a packed midfield. (34:31)
  • Quote: "If you can get that, there's probably more chance that actually you don't just reach the ball first, you actually get to control it and your team are in possession." – Michael Cox [34:31]

7. Varieties of Distribution: Feet and Throws

• Kicking off Both Feet:
  • Modern keepers, unlike in decades past, are increasingly two-footed, although standout cases of strong one-footedness (like Mamardashvili) can invite high-pressing tactics from opponents. (21:44)
• Decline of Throwing:
  • Overarm and “side-volley” throws are largely obsolete except for rare elite examples (e.g. David Raya, Nick Pope), a marked change from the Schmeichel-Reina era when throwing was critical. (23:20, 26:02)
    • Quote: “You’re better off kicking it than you are throwing it. They can do that quicker and more accurately over 50 yards.” – Michael Cox [23:20]
• Aesthetics of Distribution:
  • The “side volley” is admired for style, but largely abandoned in favor of accuracy and predictability. (27:12)

8. The Cyclical Nature and Current State of Play

• Teams are now more “hybrid,” comfortable with both playing out short or going long, depending on the opponent’s press and their own attacking options. (35:46)
  • Quote: “It’s because of the way that pressing has improved so significantly that teams are now having to be more inclined to go long and then think of more complex ways to then try and get the ball to stick…” – Mark Carey [36:50]
• Emphasis is now on unpredictability and weaponizing both long and short options; teams that become too predictable (e.g. Tottenham last season) can be easily “solved” by opponents. (37:46)
  • Quote: “It’s just about being unpredictable as well. Hopefully, ideally you can do both.” – Michael Cox [37:46]

Memorable Quotes

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:00 | Mark Carey | “Goalkeepers were going long the majority of the time, 69% of the time in the 2019 season...that’s only six or seven seasons ago.”| | 04:38 | Michael Cox | “The pitch has become completely spread out…that’s created more space, particularly in the midfield zone.” | | 10:57 | Mark Carey | “That’s now at 0.9 per 90. So nearly halved...it’s actually being targeted now.” | | 12:01 | Michael Cox | “It’s a long ball, but it’s not. It’s a really good through ball.” | | 16:17 | Michael Cox | “I think the refs are more likely to give it because giving an indirect free kick was quite a big punishment for something that doesn't really matter.” | | 26:02 | Michael Cox | “[Raya]...would carry the ball to the edge of the area and...really look for parts and then chuck it. Like really pinpoint in a way again, I haven’t really seen before.” | | 29:57 | Mark Carey | “The technical ability of strikers is improving all the time...I just think it's maybe now more fashionable among the elite sides...”| | 31:33 | Michael Cox | “I still don’t think a long goal kick to a striker’s head is that useful...Players are good with their chest, are very useful in these situations.”| | 35:46 | Mark Carey | “It feels like it’s a hybrid...if you get tight, they’ve got situations and sequences in which they can try and maximize that as well.” | | 37:46 | Michael Cox | “It’s just about being unpredictable as well. And hopefully, ideally, you can do both.” |

Important Timestamps

• Introduction to trends and key stats: [02:57]
• Impact of 2019 goal kick rule: [04:17]
• Quality vs. quantity and technical advancements: [06:53]
• Shift from hoofs to targeted long passes: [10:57]
• Creative distribution examples (Ederson, Mitoma): [12:52]
• Impact of eight-second law: [15:28]
• Profile of teams/goalkeepers going long (promoted teams): [17:16]
• Distribution techniques and styles: [21:20] — [27:48]
• Forward profiles & effectiveness, second balls: [29:29] — [35:05]
• Modern pragmatism, unpredictability: [35:46] — [38:41]

Conclusion

Goalkeeper distribution is experiencing a renaissance of sorts, not as a nostalgic return to 1990s “hoofball,” but as a sophisticated evolution where accuracy, speed, and unpredictability are in demand. Tactical shifts, rule changes, and improved player technique now allow teams to weaponize both long and short distributions to maximize their advantages—and keep opponents guessing. The key is adaptability, both for teams and for keepers, as the modern game expects more than ever from its last line of defense.

For questions or comments on the pod, The Athletic encourages feedback at tacticspod@theathletic.com