I don't think Haghighi is at EPL level.
Don't get me wrong, he is a very capable goalkeeper in terms of reflexes, physique, confidence, positioning, etc.
But, in England's league, another HUGE element of being a good goalkeeper is distribution.
Haghighi has a good arm, and we saw that in the World Cup with some of his throws clearing midfield.
However, in EPL, a league I follow very closely, goalkeepers are basically defenders during build-up play and defenders often pass it back to their goalkeeper throughout the match, who is then expected to distribute the ball by foot accurately up the field.
When Dejagah first joined Fulham, Mark Schwarzer, Fulham's GK at the time, was still in great shape despite his old age. He was an excellent shot-stopper and had great reflexes. But, whenever his defenders passed the ball back to him, he would just boot it up the field aimlessly, and was often criticized for this (and rightfully so).
Last season at Liverpool, when Mignolet was in outstanding shape in terms of keeping the ball out of his net, he was also criticized for his poor distribution with the ball at his feet.
Also, for example, at Everton's training sessions, coach Roberto Martinez actually has his goalkeepers practicing with the rest of the team, requiring their passing, ball control, etc to really be at the level of outfield players.
Unfortunately, I don't think Haghighi has the technical ability to be able to distribute well with the ball at his feet, and this will be a problem. Many times his goal-kicks have gone out of bounds and he just looks kind of clumsy when he has to kick/distribute the ball.
In a league like England's, this will not go unnoticed and he will have to really improve this element of his game if he wants to play in EPL.
Don't get me wrong, he is a very capable goalkeeper in terms of reflexes, physique, confidence, positioning, etc.
But, in England's league, another HUGE element of being a good goalkeeper is distribution.
Haghighi has a good arm, and we saw that in the World Cup with some of his throws clearing midfield.
However, in EPL, a league I follow very closely, goalkeepers are basically defenders during build-up play and defenders often pass it back to their goalkeeper throughout the match, who is then expected to distribute the ball by foot accurately up the field.
When Dejagah first joined Fulham, Mark Schwarzer, Fulham's GK at the time, was still in great shape despite his old age. He was an excellent shot-stopper and had great reflexes. But, whenever his defenders passed the ball back to him, he would just boot it up the field aimlessly, and was often criticized for this (and rightfully so).
Last season at Liverpool, when Mignolet was in outstanding shape in terms of keeping the ball out of his net, he was also criticized for his poor distribution with the ball at his feet.
Also, for example, at Everton's training sessions, coach Roberto Martinez actually has his goalkeepers practicing with the rest of the team, requiring their passing, ball control, etc to really be at the level of outfield players.
Unfortunately, I don't think Haghighi has the technical ability to be able to distribute well with the ball at his feet, and this will be a problem. Many times his goal-kicks have gone out of bounds and he just looks kind of clumsy when he has to kick/distribute the ball.
In a league like England's, this will not go unnoticed and he will have to really improve this element of his game if he wants to play in EPL.
Comment