According to Japanese media FOOTBALL ZONE, Shuichi Gonda, a Japanese goalkeeper currently playing for Vissel Kobe, recently gave an exclusive interview discussing the increasing emphasis on goalkeepers' foot skills in modern football. He believes that Japanese football overemphasizes the importance of goalkeepers participating in build-up play from the back during training and evaluation, while to some extent neglecting their most crucial task: preventing opponents from scoring.

In recent years, as football tactics have continued to evolve, it has become a trend for goalkeepers to participate in build-up play from the back. Goalkeepers who can control the ball and participate in passing and possession like outfield players are increasingly valued. However, Gonda, who has played in several European countries, holds a different view.

Shuichi Gonda stated: "I've always felt that perhaps only in Japan is there such repeated emphasis on 'build-up play from the back' and 'foot skills' as there is now. Of course, it's good for a goalkeeper to have excellent foot skills, and it is a very necessary ability in modern football. But looking around the world, no matter how good a goalkeeper is at building up play, if they can't even save the most basic shots, they will never be recognized at all."

Gonda's real concern is that the evaluation criteria for goalkeepers in Japanese football, from youth academies to the professional level, are gradually shifting away from the core responsibility of keeping the goal.

He said: "Especially among young players, when I see some goalkeepers receiving recognition and playing time because they're good at building up play, rather than because of their exceptional shot-stopping ability, I actually feel sorry for them."

"Because when they aspire to break into the first team, or reach professional football level or even top foreign leagues, goalkeepers who can't make saves will be the first to lose recognition. I believe we must not misunderstand the most fundamental responsibility of the goalkeeper position."

At the same time, Gonda also questioned the modern football tactical concept that relies on goalkeepers to participate in build-up play from the back.

He stated: "As I understand it, is it because the other 10 players besides the goalkeeper can't independently complete build-up play from the back that the team needs to rely on the goalkeeper? Originally, attacking and defending on the field is a symmetrical 10 versus 10 situation. If, because we can't break through the opponent's pressure, we think it's natural that the goalkeeper at the back must participate in attack, I think that in some ways misses the core issue."

According to Gonda, the numerical advantage gained by having the goalkeeper participate in build-up play should only be seen as a tactical choice for the team, not as a determining criterion for evaluating a goalkeeper's ability.

He said: "If we always believe that we can't complete passing and build-up play without the goalkeeper's involvement, then we will eventually reach an extreme conclusion: 'a goalkeeper without good foot skills can't play.'"

"But a goalkeeper is the player farthest from the opponent's goal on the field, and also the only specialized position on the team allowed to touch the ball with their hands. We must not forget the most fundamental responsibility of a goalkeeper."

Gonda has played for SV Horn in Austria, Portimonense in Portugal, and Debrecen in Hungary, and has represented Japan's national team against top international sides. Based on these experiences, he believes that European football's evaluation criteria for goalkeepers is actually simpler and stricter.

Gonda stated: "Abroad, the higher the league level, the more directly a head coach's fate is tied to each match's result. If a coach tells a goalkeeper, 'it's okay to make mistakes, just build up play from the back,' and then loses the match because of that, the coach might get fired."

"Coaches who fail to deliver results are often dismissed quickly. Precisely because of this, the primary demand coaches place on goalkeepers is always to help the team win, which means avoiding conceding goals as much as possible."

He further pointed out that whether it's communication between the goalkeeper and teammates, or participation in build-up play from the back, these are fundamentally just means to help the team reduce the chance of conceding goals.

Gonda stated: "Extremely speaking, even if a goalkeeper can't communicate verbally with teammates at all, can't participate in build-up play, and can only kick long balls, as long as they can save every shot and consistently keep their goal clean, a coach will definitely use them."

"Conversely, no matter how excellent a goalkeeper's foot skills are or how accurate their passing is, if they concede goals in every match, they cannot improve the team's chances of winning."

"Ultimately, the best goalkeeper is one who can fully use their hands to keep the team from conceding. For a goalkeeper, there is no task more important than keeping the goal."

Finally, Gonda emphasized that he is not completely dismissing the value of a goalkeeper participating in build-up play, but rather believes that professional players must understand the relationship between applying their skills and achieving match results.

He said: "For professional players, the worst thing that can happen is attempting build-up play and then conceding a goal because of a mistake. Of course, being willing to try is very important, but we are in an environment where we must deliver results."

"In fact, it's the same when I play for Japan's national team. Regardless of the level, we absolutely must not have a misunderstanding about this."

Gonda believes that while modern football certainly demands goalkeepers to possess more comprehensive skills, these abilities must not overshadow shot-stopping and preventing goals. For the specialized goalkeeper position, keeping the goal remains the most important responsibility.

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