What does the perfect performance look like, for both players and fans? Ideals would likely differ between the two, but ultimately, a win makes a performance good to a certain extent.<\/p>\n
Fans want to be entertained, and rightly so. However, one wouldn\u2019t blame players for simply settling for a win and a solid, unspectacular performance to keep their names off the pundits\u2019 blacklists for another week \u2013 especially goalkeepers.<\/p>\n
As well all know, our friends in between the sticks can be heroes or villains – often the latter, but ultimately all goalkeepers know that they don\u2019t necessarily have to pull off wonder save after wonder save to put in a \u2018good performance\u2019. For goalkeepers, unspectacular performances are essentially good performances, as it simply means that the other ten men (or women) on the field have the freedom to \u2018do their thing\u2019.<\/p>\n
Sam Johnstone spoke out about becoming a Premier League number one when West Brom were promoted from the Championship. It was a dream that Johnstone had held since his days as a youngster at Manchester United, working in the shadow of David De Gea and Edwin Van Der Sar.<\/p>\n
Whilst at Man United, Johnstone was coached by some of the game\u2019s most respected goalkeeping coaches. These included Eric Steele, Richard Hartis, and the man who arguably redesigned the image of modern goalkeeper coaching, Frans Hoek.<\/p>\n
Johnstone made his mark in the Championship with Aston Villa in 2017\/18. The Villains very nearly returned to the Premier League in Johnstone\u2019s first season but lost to Fulham in the Play-Off Final that year. He joined the Baggies permanently in July 2018 and became a Premier League goalkeeper two years and 19 days later.<\/p>\n
It has taken West Brom a little while to get going in the Premier League this season. It was matchday ten by the time Johnstone’s side recorded their first three points; a deflected Conor Gallagher strike was enough to earn the win against basement boys Sheffield United.<\/p>\n
Goalkeepers do a lot more than just make saves, and their actions both in and out of possession contribute to the team being an effective unit in defence and going forward.<\/p>\n
Sam Johnstone may only have made two ‘game changing’ saves against the Blades, but he positively affected the game in a number of different ways.<\/p>\n
Arguably, Johnstone is a goalkeeper who banks on his reactions and agility to help him make saves. He’s springy, quick across the goal, and brave. These sorts of goalkeepers may opt to hang back on crosses and use their reactions to make a save rather than coming to try and intercept the cross.<\/p>\n