Current Best GKs in the women's game

Discussion in 'Women's International' started by blissett, Oct 17, 2018.

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who are currently the best GKs in the women's game (max three votes allowed)

Poll closed Nov 16, 2018.
  1. Alyssa Naeher (USA)

    4 vote(s)
    25.0%
  2. Ashlyn Harris (USA)

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  3. Adrianna Franch (USA)

    5 vote(s)
    31.3%
  4. Almuth Schult (GER)

    1 vote(s)
    6.3%
  5. Karen Barsdley (ENG)

    1 vote(s)
    6.3%
  6. Siobhan Chamberlain (ENG)

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  7. Sarah Bouhaddi (FRA)

    1 vote(s)
    6.3%
  8. Stephanie Labbé (CAN)

    4 vote(s)
    25.0%
  9. Erin McLeod (CAN)

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  10. Lydia Williams (AUS)

    9 vote(s)
    56.3%
  11. Ayaka Yamashita (JAP)

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  12. Hannah Stambaugh (JAP)

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  13. Bárbara (BRA)

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  14. Hedvig Lindhal (SWE)

    1 vote(s)
    6.3%
  15. Sari Van Veenendaal (NED)

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  16. Loes Geurts (NED)

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  17. Katarzyna Kiedrzynek (POL)

    3 vote(s)
    18.8%
  18. Manuela Zinsberger (AUT)

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  19. Christiane Endler (CHI)

    2 vote(s)
    12.5%
  20. Another GK, from one of the teams above or from another one (please indicate in the thread)

    3 vote(s)
    18.8%
Multiple votes are allowed.
  1. blissett

    blissett Member+

    Aug 20, 2011
    Italy
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    --other--
    Not sure how it went for GKs, since I didn't see the match, but an Australia-Chile friendly match just ended 2-3 yesterday. It was a Christiane Endler vs Lydia Williams clash, two quite appreciated GKs on this thread and Endler almost saved a PK at 92' (she touched the ball, but Van Egmond scored anyway).

    Di anyone watched the full match and can assess the performances of the two GKs?
     
  2. Lechus7

    Lechus7 Member+

    Aug 31, 2011
    Wroclaw
    Endler was superb, had 2-3 good saves, especially in 1st half she was keeping Chile in the game. Dove wrong way during 1st PK and almost saved 2nd at the end of the match.

    Williams was mostly unemployed in 1st half although on Chile 1st goal her clearance after defender initial error wasn't the best. She didn't got the ball at 2nd goal either - one after a following set piece scramble. Had little chance to save 3rd from counter.
     
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  3. blissett

    blissett Member+

    Aug 20, 2011
    Italy
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    --other--
    @soccersubjectively already admitted that he had probably overlooked her when he compiled his to 50 chart: I would be curious to know where exactly most of us would rank her in a general international list.

    For sure, she's still somehow rough around the edges: I didn't watch the whole match, but towards the end of it, after a quite good low-same, she let spill a ball that she probably shouldn't have spilt (luckily for her, there was no Aussie player close: could it be a reason way she felt she could afford being a little sloppy? :cautious:).

    Anyway, I am curious to see how she will fare on the big stage, at WWC next year.
     
  4. Lechus7

    Lechus7 Member+

    Aug 31, 2011
    Wroclaw
    I'd place her equlal or just behind Kiedrzynek.
     
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  5. blissett

    blissett Member+

    Aug 20, 2011
    Italy
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    --other--
    She took three goals vs Netherlands yesterday, but it's not like she could do much about it: she tried to cover the goal as much as she could, but she had to face free players in the box twice (Martens and Miedema), and even Spitse's FK was basically unsavable; GKs are normally at least a little to blame when they take goals from FK, but this one was so powerful and perfectly placed (and it even need a rebound from one post to the other side to enter the goal) that I don't think Thalmann could have stopped it! :coffee:
     
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  6. blissett

    blissett Member+

    Aug 20, 2011
    Italy
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    --other--
    ... that you place exactly where? :p
     
  7. Lechus7

    Lechus7 Member+

    Aug 31, 2011
    Wroclaw
    World top 5
     
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  8. blissett

    blissett Member+

    Aug 20, 2011
    Italy
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    --other--
    In fact, in today's friendly match vs Japan, it was quite obvious that Hjelmseth couldn't cover the whole goal and she was often caught unprepared by shots directed to the low-post corner (She probably also had a wrong-positioned wall, although it is likely that she couldn't have reached Yokoyama's FK anyway):

     
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  9. soccersubjectively

    soccersubjectively BigSoccer Supporter

    Jan 17, 2012
    Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Highlights are here: https://matildas.footballaustralia.com.au/video/full-time-highlights-matildas-v-chile

    Williams making me 1) re-think me picking her in the top three and 2) showing how even top goalkeepers struggle with crossing : /

    2:25 (in the video) is a good example of my distrust of Endler in goal. Some nice reflex saves throughout the match but can easily catch herself in hot water with her movement. No need to chase nor go to ground on that play. Fortunate to get out of that one.

    Think she sits around the 30-ish slot for me. Would bump her up if she's able to nail down the number one slot at PSG.
     
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  10. Thomsen

    Thomsen Member+

    Aug 6, 2016
    Club:
    FC Bayern München
    Not the US number 1 imo :thumbsdown: It's not really clear anymore after the retirement of Solo and Angerer
     
  11. blissett

    blissett Member+

    Aug 20, 2011
    Italy
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    --other--
    For whoever was tempted to vote for Bouhaddi in their personal top 10, don't forget that it's true that she's the woman who basically won a Champions' League in 2017 by saving PKs and scoring PKs in a penalty shootout vs PSG, but at the same time she's the woman that, all along her career, could never stop doing things like this one:



    :x3:
     
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  12. Airox

    Airox Member

    Mar 14, 2016
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    :ROFLMAO:
     
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  13. soccersubjectively

    soccersubjectively BigSoccer Supporter

    Jan 17, 2012
    Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yikes : /

    I always thought her being praised for her distribution was a bit odd because this isn't the first time I've seen her misplay a risky pass. Don't have a list or anything but I've never found her distribution THAT impressive, although it can be effective at times.
     
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  14. soccersubjectively

    soccersubjectively BigSoccer Supporter

    Jan 17, 2012
    Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The Guardian released their top 100 list. None in the top 40 and only 6 total, giving more weight behind the idea that there really aren't any elite goalkeepers in the world right now.

    1. Schmult (47)
    2. Endler (53)
    3. Bouhaddi (57)
    4. Williams (59)
    5. Franch (65)
    6. Naeher (73)
     
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  15. blissett

    blissett Member+

    Aug 20, 2011
    Italy
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    --other--
    Sorry for necro-ing this thread, but it didn't seem worth to me to open up another one anew.

    In the light of what we've seen in the latest batch of friendly matches, just two months ahead of WWC, what can we say again about the general level of goalkeeping in the women's game?

    by reading the names from The Guardian's top 100 list above, I guess you tend to get shivers down your spine... o_O

    Naeher and especially Franch were quite questionable for USA in the lastest games; Bouhaddi never stopped being Bouhaddi and gifting free goals from time to time; Endler just took 7 goals from Netherlands (although honestly they were mostly due to a non-existent defense in front of her) and she was in general questionable in other games as of late (most notably in the WCL's quarter-final where she allowed Chelsea the goal that eliminated PSG); not sure how many of you saw Schult's horror-show vs Japan yesterday, but she basically passed the ball to an opponent, twice (!), to allow both Japanese goals and she was quite shaky with her club of Wolsfburg also.
    Not sure about Williams, but I vaguely remember that she had some bad games too in the last months (and anyway Australia just lost to USA by 5-3).

    So, who can we save if the GKs themselves aren't able to save? :confused:

    Maybe Labbé? Until two days ago, Canada had the impressive record of not conceding a single goal in 2019 in their first 6 games (including one vs England, where I've seen Labbé make some good saves), then the record was broken in the match vs Nigeria, although Canada won it anyway by 2-1.

    In general, though, it seems to me that the level of goalkeeping in the women's game has dropped very low, and I am frankly quite afraid to see too many games at the WWC decided by a GK's mistake instead of by a FW's act of prowess... :unsure:
    I really want France 2019 to show the world the elite of women's football, but this should need to include a very high-level of goalkeeping: will it be possible?
     
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  16. SiberianThunderT

    Sep 21, 2008
    DC
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    The days of Solo, Barnhart, LeBlanc, Angerer, and Kaihori are definitely past. :(

    At least casual fans might like high-scoring games? :confused:
     
  17. Lechus7

    Lechus7 Member+

    Aug 31, 2011
    Wroclaw
    I disagree on Endler. She had not much to say vs. Netherlands but she kept Chile in the game vs. Scotland with four great saves - three point blank and one 1v1.
    In UWCL..lost goal vs. Chelsea is more on Formiga. It's DM job to track rival mid's arriving late - Mjelde in this case.

    Still...as you are saying on one hand we have gk's like Lindahl, Labbe, Zhao Lina or Williams showing decent and stable form throughout the years.... but on the other some of WWC teams no.1's lately aren't performing to the number printed on their shirt (Yamashita, Schult, Diamini...).

    But let's not forget also that some good gk's will miss WWC (Kiedrzynek, Sigurðardóttir, Zinsberger...)
     
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  18. blissett

    blissett Member+

    Aug 20, 2011
    Italy
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    --other--
    I always liked Endler, so I am willing to stand corrected, since I admit I didn't watch the Chile-Scotland game. My impression about the goal vs Chelsea was that she's of course not entirely responsible of it but that she was anyway somehow caught in no man's land when she decided to come out.

    Anyway, apart from Chile, that I don't expect to be play a major role at WWC (especially if they're going to play as they recently did vs Netherlands), what's really worrying is that most of the "big teams" who are going to actually battle for the final trophy seem to be very shaky at the GK position.

    Sorry, you meant who...? Bouhaddi?
     
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  19. Lechus7

    Lechus7 Member+

    Aug 31, 2011
    Wroclaw
    Nope, although Bouhaddi had her fair share of mishaps ;)
    I'm thinking about RSA no.1 goalie. (It's Dlamini - my error :oops:)
     
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  20. sbahnhof

    sbahnhof Member+

    Nov 21, 2016
    Aotearoa
    This section has 1,883 threads. We can re-use a few :D
     
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  21. blissett

    blissett Member+

    Aug 20, 2011
    Italy
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    --other--
    Since you're passing by here, @sbahnhof, what's your opinion about the current GK situation? :)
     
  22. sbahnhof

    sbahnhof Member+

    Nov 21, 2016
    Aotearoa
    All I'll say is, there's no cause for alarm :eek:

    About Kaihori, I didn't even know she'd retired! I had been meaning to post an article about that Lloyd goal in the 2015 WWC final ... Japan fans, maybe don't click it for obvious reasons, but it's just one of those "wow" iconic images https://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/news/calamity-for-kaihori-as-final-roles-reverse

    Apparently Kaihori is now a player-coach with Kumamoto Renaissance FC. So now I know!
     
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  23. soccersubjectively

    soccersubjectively BigSoccer Supporter

    Jan 17, 2012
    Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Think I have to agree with @blissett. This WC will be a down year for goalkeeping. I thought there was some irony with Bledsoe winning player of the week and not being named to the roster within the same week. Clearly a very talented goalkeeper and the US goes with three others who haven't looked great : /



    As for Endler, a large part of her game is based on aggressiveness and if a striker has any poise, they'll take the space Endler gives. The first goal against the Netherlands was a good example, although a tough situation.

    Lindahl is 36. Labbe has been pretty average this year in NWSL play. I never really rated Zhao Lina. But I do like Lydia Williams in goal. But I would have more cause for concern with the starters keepers than excitement. I don't think it's going to be awful year for goalkeeping but it wouldn't surprise me if the golden glove is given to the winning gk out of default.
     
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  24. SiberianThunderT

    Sep 21, 2008
    DC
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Nat'l Team:
    Spain
    To be fair, she's never really been on the senior USWNT radar, and winning one PotW doesn't offset a track record (real or perceived) - she was only named to the NWSL Team of the Month once last year, so she's not viewed as "clearly better" than any other 'keepers in the league. But what WAS funny was when the FIFA WWC Twitter account shared her highlight video. X-D
     
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  25. soccersubjectively

    soccersubjectively BigSoccer Supporter

    Jan 17, 2012
    Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well I think for anyone who tracked the league's gks for the last couple years, she was - at the very least - on Franch/Harris/Naeher's level. Her InStat rating is right up there with the three (185, 185, 181, 183 for Naeher, Harris, Franch and Bledsoe). She's second in save percentage for all gks with at least 10 games in the past three years. She had a respectable 1.3 GAA when Washington was scoring just a goal every other game. She was her team's MVP last season because she set the league record for most saves in a season.

    So the recent award is less about proving her worth and more about the irony behind it all. Player of the (blank) awards are kinda silly to begin with but the juxtaposition was v funny to me.

    Did not know that about the Twitter account though lol.
     
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