ANALYSIS OF OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE ACTIONS OF YOUNG SOCCER GOALKEEPERS

Purpose. The study aimed to investigate the defensive and offensive technical tactical actions of elite young football goalkeepers. Methods. The goalkeepers who participated in our study (n = 3; mean age: 16.6 years) had 8 years of experience in the position, were Portuguese, and competed in the Portuguese National Championship U-17. Thirty championship games were observed. The observational instruments used were constructed and validated for the investigation, and the technicaltactical actions were coded with the Lince® software. The data were processed through a descriptive analysis, by using the Microsoft Excel® computer program. Results. Defensive actions with most occurrences were goal defence (25.33 ± 8.14), deviation to punch (13.67 ± 12.5), with 2 hands (45.66 ± 21.38), and in zone 1 (50.33 ± 34.81). Offensive actions started more frequently with delayed pass (38.33 ± 28.01), for zone 1 (28.7 ± 20.60). The goalkeepers executed goal kick most frequently (17.33 ± 14.29), followed by short hand replacement (16.67 ± 12.06) and short pass (14.33 ± 10.02). The preferred pass zone was 9 (17.33 ± 10.26), and actions sought to initiate positional attack (86 ± 61.02). Conclusions. In the defensive process, the goalkeepers’ actions are mostly focused on the objective of goal defence; in the offensive process, technical actions with the hands and feet are important in the participation in positional attack construction.