Former Newcastle United keeper Tim Krul now says something that we have been bleating on about for years
If you're a regular reader of NUFC Feed, first of all, thank you so much, and second, you have probably seen us bang on about how Newcastle United players often seem terrified of taking a shot.
The number of games we've watched where we've failed to score because of an obsession with trying to pass the ball into the goal instead of just having a speculative effort and seeing what happens, a goal, a parry, a deflection. It's one of our biggest pet peeves.
In fairness, it's not just a Newcastle issue; it's the way the modern game is now. Everything players are told to do these days is driven by data over instinct, and the data suggests it's more productive to play the ball into the net rather than having a crack on sight.
However, former Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul, who is working on his coaching badges after hanging up his gloves, as told The Independent, that the game has become too reliant on data.
VINDICATION!
Krul has even gone as far as to say that it's harder for goalkeepers to stop long-distance efforts these days.
“As a goalkeeper, it’s harder facing a shot from 25 or 30 yards, especially with these new balls. The further out, the more movement there is. It’s often harder than facing a 10-yard shot.”
We only have to look at Lucas Paqueta's goal for West Ham against Newcastle the other week, a long-range effort that beat Nick Pope at his near post because of the way the ball moved in the air.
Players need to be allowed to be human again
Krul goes on to say that there's an over-reliance on the data these days and that it should be used to supplement tactics rather than dictate them, and we absolutely agree.
Players need to retain that instinct; it's what makes them human, it's what makes the game exciting. These days, you can predict what each player is going to do before they do it just by looking at where everyone is on the field.
That's great for teammates as they know where everyone is, but the opposition does too. It's time we go back to being a bit more unpredictable.
