Goalkeeper overview: Kim Son-Gyong and Maren Groothoff

In part 3, goalkeeper experts Thierry Barnerat and Pascal Zuberbühler break down the strengths of both finalists’ goalkeepers.

(1/2) Barnerat is one of FIFA’s Senior Goalkeeping Experts and has worked with numerous elite goalkeepers over the years, including Thibaut Courtois.

(2/2) The former Switzerland number 1 is a FIFA Senior Football Expert and TSG lead. In his role at FIFA, Zuberbühler has attended every senior and youth FIFA tournament for the last six years.

Out of possession

Thierry Barnerat: Korea DPR’s Kim Son-Gyong (1) had to intervene four times to defend her goal, while the Netherlands’ Maren Groothoff (1) was involved in 44 actions. However, if we look at how often each goalkeeper made decisive saves, their percentages are very similar.

Kim shows excellent command of her area and has been consistently decisive when defending space. She’s very strong on aerial balls and when protecting her box — punching, catching, or clearing under pressure. She’s done that 15 times this tournament, which is a major strength.

The Dutch goalkeeper has strengths of her own as well. Against the USA, she saved a penalty that allowed her team to progress into the quarter-finals. Versus France, she made two crucial saves that allowed them to move on to the semi-final. Turning up in match-defining moments is a big part of her value.

In possession

In Korea DPR’s quarter-final against Japan, Kim Son-Gyong’s (1) long distribution played a key role in allowing her team to open the scoring after 36 seconds.

The Netherlands have placed emphasis on building out from goal kicks. Maren Groothoff (1) is the focal point during these moments.

Now, if we look at their contribution to the attacking phase, there’s also a big difference. Korea DPR play less in possession and go long more often, but Kim has excellent kicking distance — she can hit 45–50-metre passes, something we don’t often see in this U-17 World Cup.

The Netherlands, on the other hand, play through possession much more. You can see Groothoff and her defenders are very good at playing out from the back, creating numerical superiority and always finding passing angles to stay in control. That’s one of the main strengths of the Dutch team and defensive unit, largely thanks to Groothoff’s contribution.

(1/2) Figure 1: Throughout the tournament, Kim has excelled at coming out of her area to clear balls played in behind the defensive line.

(2/2) Figure 2: On the Netherlands’ route to the final, Groothoff has performed numerous match-defining saves, including two stops in a penalty shoot-out against France.

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