5 keepers who have impressed in Brazil

International tournaments are usually defined by moments of attacking brilliance and skill, and this World Cup has been no different. The likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and James Rodriguez have lit up Brazil, and it is no surprise that they have received most of the plaudits. Despite this, the 2014 World Cup will also be remembered for some fine goalkeeping. Here are just five of the keepers who have impressed in Brazil.

Manuel Neuer (Germany)

Neuer has taken the role of the sweeper-keeper to new extremes in Brazil. The German No.1 surprised everybody against Algeria in the round of sixteen, taking up extremely high positions outside his box and dashing forward to deny the onrushing Algerian attackers throughout the match. Although many saw his actions as risky (he was almost caught out early on by Islam Slimani) his decision making was perfect, and he spared his defenders’ blushes on a number of occasions. Neuer’s shot-stopping has also been excellent, as demonstrated by the save he made against Karim Benzema in the final minutes of the quarter-final against France, and his distribution has been equally impressive. His arrogance can irritate neutrals, but he has undoubtedly been the best keeper of this tournament so far.

Keylor Navas (Costa Rica)

It was a fantastic tournament for Costa Rica, who finished top in a group containing Italy, Uruguay and England, and made it to the quarter finals of a World Cup for the first time in their history after overcoming Greece with ten men. This was in no small part down to Keylor Navas, who had an outstanding tournament. While players such as Joel Campbell and Bryan Ruiz were important in Los Ticos’ remarkable run, nobody was more influential than Navas, who at times kept Costa Rica in the competition. He was excellent against Greece in the round of sixteen, saving from point blank range on two occasions, but he will inevitably be remembered for his heroics in the penalty shootout which followed. He produced a great save against Theofanis Gekas with the score at 4-3, allowing Michael Umana to seal Costa Rica’s progress to the quarter finals with the next spot-kick. For all of their qualities, it is unlikely they would have got this far had it not been for Keylor Navas.

Guillermo Ochoa (Mexico)

Considering Ochoa wasn’t even guaranteed to start for Mexico before this tournament started, he had a remarkable World Cup. He made a series of stunning saves against Brazil, including a fine, one-handed stop from a Neymar header which prompted comparisons with Gordon Banks’ save against Pele, and which might just be the save of the tournament so far. Ochoa was on his way to PSG in 2011 before he failed a drugs test (it later turned out that he and other players had eaten contaminated meat) and he was subsequently snapped up by Ajaccio, where he became a hero. Ochoa is now a free agent, and one can’t help feeling that he will get his dream move to a top European club after his performances in Brazil.

Thibaut Courtois (Belgium)

Belgium had a solid if unspectacular World Cup given the expectations placed on them. They were rarely troubled, but when they were, Courtois was there to rescue them. In the final few minutes of extra time against the USA, for instance, the big Belgian made a brilliant, sprawling save at the feet of Clint Dempsey, and against Argentina he stood tall to prevent Lionel Messi from making it 2-0 late on in the match, demonstrating his composure and speed off his line. Courtois is less prone to mad dashes outside his area than Manuel Neuer and has less of an ego, perhaps giving him an edge over the German keeper.

Tim Howard (USA)

The USA are renowned for producing good goalkeepers, and Howard can perhaps lay claim to being the greatest of them all after his performances at this World Cup. Certainly he produced one of the best US goalkeeping performances of all time against Belgium, making a record number of saves (15) in a single World Cup match, and he was just as important against Portugal in the group stage. Although some of his flaws were exposed (he has a tendency to go to ground too early and his distribution can be dodgy), Howard was largely faultless, and his leadership was also vital in ensuring the USA reached the knockout rounds.

@tomas_hill

England's early exit: Hodgson is to blame

As soon as the group was drawn the FA and England were preparing for an inevitable early exit from the World Cup.  Roy Hodgson himself admitted, "It is difficult. There is no doubt with Uruguay and Italy we have almost got two number one seeds in our group” whilst Greg Dyke made the infamous and pessimistic throat-slit gesture.  But make no mistake, Group D was no ‘Group of Death’. This is not the glorious Italy team of old, they are much weaker defensively and lack conviction going forward – and were deservedly beaten by Costa Rica. Uruguay have suffered a sharp decline since winning the Copa America in 2011, were also deservedly beaten by Costa Rica, and rely heavily on a couple of select players. Costa Rica have performed admirably, but ultimately have a population of fewer than 5 million and had one player in the self-proclaimed best League in the World last season (who was injured for this tournament).  With the players available, England should have at least qualified in second – however, Hodgson seems to be receiving very little backlash from the mainstream media (primarily the BBC) whatsoever, and has received assurances on his future from the FA.

In 2010 England crashed out of the World Cup and Fabio Capello was widely derided and mocked, with a dash of xenophobia, and many in the media called for his head.  This was a man who had won multiple leagues in both Italy and Spain, not to mention the Champions League, and still wasn't good enough for England. But it seems merely because he is English, Hodgson is beyond reproach. Now, I am not suggesting Hodgson is an inept manager – he has managed extensively abroad, is evidently intelligent and multilingual, a quality that should be applauded and is sadly rare with modern English managers - but he is not the type of manager England should be persisting with at this moment in time. He does not fit any bill – he is not the free-spirited attacking manager some have made him out to be, and he has proven both at the Euros and now at the World Cup that he is incapable of grinding out results at knockout tournaments with England. Yes, England did not play too badly in either of their two defeats (so far), but that was largely down to the relative mediocrity of the opposition.

Everyone knew that England’s defence was vulnerable, yet Hodgson did not select a single natural defensive midfielder in the entire squad. Jordan Henderson, who had a fantastic season in a midfield three, was left to cover far too much, with Gerrard not fulfilling a role of any kind. Gareth Barry, who has played consistently well anchoring a midfield this season was not selected, on grounds of age, but Frank Lampard, who now does not really fit into a rigid 4-2-3-1, still was. Natural strikers – Welbeck and Rooney – were played out of position, reducing their capabilities going forward, and leaving attacking full-backs Baines and Johnson woefully exposed at times. Baines was widely lambasted following the Italy match (despite the recurrent overlaps he had to contend with), as was Rooney, but the man who forced that situation upon the players seemed to escape criticism. So many fans and pundits could see the situation unfolding, but relatively little action was taken. James Milner, England’s best defensive winger (who could also fill in at central midfield) has not played a single minute of football.

Perhaps such decisions would be excusable if England had been immeasurably potent going forward. But they were not – two goals in two games is not impressive. It could be argued that they had many more shots than Uruguay, but to me this is indicative of a lack of clinical finishing, and more importantly creativity and incision. Too often the fullbacks made good attacking runs but were never found, with natural strikers understandably wanting to cut inside. Gerrard often slowed the game down with his typical Hollywood balls, which are painfully easy to defend against, and there was an absence of a natural playmaker. The solution to this particular problem was probably Ross Barkley, if not maybe Adam Lallana or even Jack Wilshere, but as Hodgson so positively said: “I'm not prepared to address your obsession with Ross Barkley. If he's going to be the player we want him to be, he has to make better decisions of when he turns with the ball.”

Hodgson may well be right when it comes to Barkley, but those are not the quotes of a positive, attack-minded manager. They are the quotes of a naturally negative, conservative defence-minded slightly antiquated manager, who felt the media pressure to seem offensive. Brendan Rodgers, Roberto Martinez or Arsene Wenger would never have criticised a 20 year old player in that manner – and it is a manager of that ilk England should now seduce.

Grassroots football should be invested in, but I don’t believe a massive overhaul of the system is required. England had and will have the players to play genuinely attractive and attacking football, with the right players to balance the system. This World Cup could have been refreshing, exciting, and a sign of significant progress from 2010 – but crushingly, it was inevitably an abject failure. And the buck stops with Hodgson. 

By Alex Jennings