How Goal Kicks Are Changing Football

In the summer of 2019 the rules around the Goal Kick were changed, and in doing so revolutionised the way we played football.

Jordan Campbell explains the rules changes, how they have been interpreted, and how they have influenced how we watch football.

Illustrated by Marco Bevilacqua.

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Paul Whitehead & Leroy Thomas Smith
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#Football #Soccer #PremierLeague

[KunSway]

Man to think that I watched 20 years of keepers straight launching it, and now coaches try to control every second of the game

[EMETRL]

In the season before this rule change, Ter Stegen tried to do a short pass to Pique on the side of the box. But the pass was a little short, and the opposing forward pounced on it. Pique, in a moment of absolute genius, stepped up into the box. He got a foot on it while in the box, which wasn't enough to beat the opposing press, but it was enough to force the referee to call an illegal goal kick, robbing the opponent of a 1v1 with a shot on goal.

[SuperMech]

Very interesting how such a small rule change makes such a big difference in how the game is played. I thought this became popular due to pep, but was unaware of the rule change that caused it.

[therealking]

I think it's awesome how the intention of a rule change and the expected behavior is often misjudged. I love seeing the creative way teams will try to exploit the rules.

[negsterarchive]

I've also seen an uptick in dumb goals being conceded in the box

[aiden]

Why is it so weird hearing JJ narrating one of these lol

[kencube]

Playing short create more opportunities for playing long when the opponent unexpected. Despite known for playing short under Pep, Ederson now have 4 assists, the second most of a goalkeeper in Premier League. Paul Robinson holds the most assists (5) record, but he had played 375 games, 118 games more than Ederson.

[UnbiasedBayernFan]

Its a little funny to think that pretty much every 'new' GK quirk you can think of has been done by Neuer (obv not this until the rule change) for the last 15 years.

[martini]

Sometimes it just like obligatory. Even when everyone is blocked and a shirt pass isn't a good idea, they still do it. Just kick it forward

[itsonlyjoecollins]

Can we see a video about how brentford are using KO as a set piece and scoring within the first minutes seemingly every week?

[R.MadridMessi-CrBarca]

In 2017, we witnessed a fascinating trend in football, a staggering 80% of goal kicks were long, high passes. Fast forward to today, and that figure has crashed to 47% after a key rule change. This shift has allowed teams to embrace a more strategic approach, opting for short passes from goal kicks before launching the ball long. It’s a remarkable evolution, as the previous method was fraught with risk, often inviting pressure from the opposition. Since the 2019/2020 season, we’ve seen teams innovating further by positioning players at the corners of the 6-yard box, a tactic that was relatively rare before. Now, it’s become quite common for center backs to pass to the goalkeeper for a long kick, a strategy effectively employed back then by Conte's Inter against Juventus. Interestingly, I had expected Sarri’s side to adopt this approach against Conte’s team, yet it was Conte’s tactics with Inter that proved to be more effective.

[JosephBananas]

It also helps that you still can't be offside from a goal kick. Pushing the opposition defense further back creating that huge space in midfield.

[brucelee]

I guess this is also why keepers who can pass are so prioritized over shot stopping, ie de gea let go for onana. Ramsdale for raya etc

[melvinodoom]

Glad the Tifo videos are back. Here first

[Horus]

No way is that rule only 5 years old! Wow, TIFO with the knowledge as per. Feels like teams have been playing out from the back for a decade

[brianlatimer]

These are the Tito type videos I love from this channel. Also the question game show was great too.

[frankunodostres]

this rule change isn't the only reason but I noticed in the last few years that more emphasis is put into "pressing resistance" especially among midfielders and centre backs. I think in a couple of years this will lead to teams either not pressing at all because when everyone is trained to specifically resist the press, it will be less effective. or a completely new approach is discovered

[HumbleBrownBoi]

I love this rule change
Seeing managers being able to have an influence in more aspects of the game is entertaining

[martijn_yt]

So if i understand you correctly, what you are saying is that for all practical purposes, the goalkick is now treated equal to the goalie having the ball ;)

[killercaos]

It’s opened up a whole new lane for teams to pressure and other teams to counter-pressure. It’s great