The simplest answer to this question Patrick Foletti has. In eight years he is with the Swiss football Association for the training of the goalkeepers and their coaches. The 45-year-old Ticinese, in this topic, the expert par excellence, says: “The main reason is mother nature.”

Switzerland has had for many generations again and again, really good Goalies, Charly Elsener, the heartthrob with the green sweater, Mario Prosperi, Erich Burgener, Roger Berbig, or Diego Benaglio. And now there are a couple of Swiss, the top international class, or at least the Talent to bring: Yann Sommer and Roman Bürki, Yvon Mvogo, Jonas Omlin, David von ballmoos and Gregor Kobel. They all have what is called Foletti mother nature: Talent.

This is essential to get to the top, but it needs more, and in Switzerland the goalkeeper to get the by the Association and the clubs have created a close-knit training model. The players are intense, and in accordance with a uniform concept promoted. It is also easier to work in Training with a Goalie, there’s two, maybe three are on the court, the care and is more labour intensive than, for example, in the case of offensive players, where at the same time, six, eight, nine players should be employed.

Mental strength as a key factor

What have a learned a summer at Borussia Mönchengladbach and Bürki at Borussia Dortmund, is dealing with the emotions. It is the influences from the outside, the pressure, the expectation, the 80’000 spectators in a stadium, to dealing with success and failure. To get this done, take advantage of the summer and Bürki from working with a mental coach. Goalkeepers need mental strength to be able to a crucial Moment to focus, you can do 90 minutes, no errors and in the 91. Minute, defeat fault.

For a striker, this is the opposite, he can make 90 minutes of nothing at the last Minute the winning goal succeeds. With this constellation, a goalkeeper needs to be done. Summer and Bürki dominate the. Both of them are in the age for a goalkeeper to be perfect: With around 30 years you have the experience needed in your profession.

you still have several years to remain at this level. And behind the next to push, Omlin, Mvogo, Kobel, and ball moss, also Racioppi (Lyon) and Köhn (Salzburg). Foletti says therefore: “For the next 15, 20 years, we are well positioned.”

Created: 06.12.2019, 13:50 PM