For most of the last decade, the consensus in football has been that long-range shots are "inefficient" and might even represent a waste of possession. The data encourages attempts to work the ball towards the goal. Tim Krul, not for the only time in a fascinating chat, thinks a bit differently.
“As a goalkeeper, it’s harder facing a shot from 25 or 30 yards, especially with these new balls,” Krul tells The Independent. “The further out, the more movement there is. It’s often harder than facing a 10-yard shot.”
It’s the sort of insight that the 37-year-old now wants to use more, as he works out his own career trajectory. Krul retired in September and is currently loving the new freedom of not being in “the football bubble”.
“You’re always told where to be from a young age… I’m going to have my first Christmas away!”
Speaking ahead of an appearance at the Web Summit tech forum in Lisbon, Krul momentarily marvels about how this is a rare occasion in his adult life where he’s away alone. For all that a football career imposes a disciplined structure on your life, however, the former goalkeeper used the ample time within it to prepare for what was next.
Krul started doing some of the Professional Footballers’ Association courses long before his retirement, which have continued into a Master’s on the business side of sport.
“I’m very hungry to keep learning, and I’m going to shadow a few Premier League clubs on the commercial side of things to see how their days work,” Krul details.
None of this should be surprising from the player who showcased one of the game’s greatest uses of psychology. His introduction as a substitute for that famous 2014 World Cup quarter-final penalty shoot-out against Costa Rica has gone down in the Netherlands' history.
Having grown up in a Dutch culture where former players are regularly made senior figures at clubs, Krul has noted this isn't quite the same in the Premier League. He feels that such positions could benefit more from direct player insight. The former goalkeeper declares himself a “believer” in analytics and such modern approaches, but feels they should be more supplementary.
“We kind of went a little bit too far,” he admits. “And that's obviously the influence from ownership.”
Those in the PFA feel Krul is worth listening to as he has already proven himself to be a strong voice in their organisation, especially as they navigate wider battles like the calendar.
"The PFA do a fantastic job. It’s so important to be a voice at the table, because there’s so much change in football, especially with the scheduling,” Krul remarks.
“I think there’s a massive gap for players who are interested in it to share that experience, what we’ve learned with the executive teams, to give that changing room view.”
Krul points to the way that goalkeepers are analysed.
“We’re talking now about how we have to deal with more crosses and set-pieces, and being dominant on those takes a lot of confidence,” he notes. “If, deep down, a goalkeeper is not confident, you’re going to stay on your line. That way, if anything happens, people don’t really point the finger.
“But, deep down, you know. You could have done something.”
In other words, an insight that can tell you the difference between a safe goalkeeper and an actually good goalkeeper.
“I was always the opposite. I would come for crosses to help our player,” Krul reveals. “And, sure, maybe sometimes I missed a punch, and people would point the finger. But, ultimately, I could look myself in the mirror and I knew that. Because there have been goals where I’ve watched Match of the Day and I’m thinking, ‘I probably should have come for this’. But it’s not mentioned.
“And it’s not a mistake, but I know, leading up to that, I could maybe have had an impact that made the difference.
“You need that self-belief. And yeah, that’s gonna cause friction. And this is why you need a changing room where people respect each other. You don’t need to be best mates, but on the pitch, you need to be a team. My relationship with defenders was key. Because if I fall out with my centre-half, subconsciously, he may not fully put his body on the line for you.
“And I think that’s where people like myself can complement the other side of the table.
“Another thing is how people cope with pressure, how they cope with 50,000 fans, the bright lights, the wind. It’s about applying the data.
“Even with goalkeeper percentages. For me, personally, I think I know when I see a goalkeeper. I can see in the warm-up if he’s got something or not. And then in gameplay, whether he’s a leader.
“I know exactly when it’s a long throw and whether the goalkeeper wants to come or isn’t going to come, when everyone is looking at the goalkeeper to come and deal with it.”
Such questions are all the more relevant in a game where the aerial approach has returned, and with force. Does that mean the requirements on goalkeepers will revert again?
“It’s a very good question because I was right in the middle of Pep Guardiola with Ederson, who set the benchmark that high. And every manager wanted to follow Pep’s way. But ultimately, I was quite lucky because I came from the Dutch academy. So, every time I went with Holland, I had to be more possession-based, but when I came back to Newcastle United, I had Andy Carroll to aim at. I had to lump it 60 yards as a goal-kick, because that’s what Alan Pardew demanded!
“But going back to the point, it has been a circle. [Manchester] United tried it the Ajax way. Andre Onana was amazing at Ajax because you had 11 players who knew the system. You always had three or four options. But, with all due respect, in England, maybe one. If that was blocked off, you were in trouble.
“I think it's definitely changing. Goalkeepers might have to have more command, or you set your team where it’s your centre-halves on the line, and they are challenging.
“There was that one the other day [against Brentford] where Dan Burn should have been challenging and Nick Pope should potentially have not got involved.
“That’s the big decision, and why it’s so hard. That’s why it’s great to have a player like Virgil van Dijk in front of you. You know he will deal with it.”
From taking a wider view of all this and monitoring executives, Krul has a new perspective from the other side.
“I said to a few sporting directors I worked with, ‘I wish you were a bit more open’ because in changing rooms, there are always discussions, ‘well, why did we not sign that top striker?’ But there might not have been a budget… and we don’t need to have the full information but I do think there could have been maybe more direct communication on why the squad was that light going into a season, or why people got sold. Because it’s the bigger picture.”
Krul is now able to see that, and it means he has bigger plans.
“I would love to be part of a leadership team. The thing I love about sport is working towards targets… to have that success, there’s no better feeling.”
There might just be a different perspective on it, though.
