Why are Liverpool goalkeepers wearing goggles in Arne Slot’s training sessions?
By
Mark Carey
Jul 19, 2024
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With
Liverpool’s pre-season underway, eagle-eyed fans have been hunting for clues on how the team might shape up in the Arne Slot era.
Last week, the club’s YouTube channel released a short video of players returning to training, and one particular moment that caught the attention was during Liverpool’s goalkeeper drills, with new goalkeeping coach Fabian Otte asking 21-year-old Marcelo Pitaluga to wear a pair of American-designed Swivel Vision training goggles, which limit peripheral vision and force individuals into more visual tracking or use of audio cues.
As shown in the video, Otte was keen to encourage his players to “find angles” and “keep scanning” during their passing session, with noise-cancelling headphones also used as a method to manipulate sensory information — inhibiting audio cues and enhancing visual concentration.
How is this approach useful for goalkeepers? Well, the training goggles are designed to improve players’ reactions, hand-eye coordination and technical skills by restricting the amount of sensory input they receive during a specific session. At its core, the idea is that the greater the challenge is in training, the easier such actions should be to reproduce on a matchday.
“Throughout our training sessions, I’ve seen these goggles help goalkeepers improve their reaction times and develop superior mechanics, which are critical for their performance,” said Mostafa Dida, who is a goalkeeper coach at Egyptian Premier League side ZED FC.
“From my own experience, repetitive use of the goggles strengthens the core muscle memory of the eyes and the mind. This helps players refine their reflexes and decision-making skills, ultimately leading to greater success on the pitch.”
(Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Compared with some of the cutting-edge technology employed at modern-day training grounds, this equipment is remarkably simple and cost-effective (less than £30/$39) and has been used across multiple U.S. sports including baseball, basketball and American football.
Crucially, their use is grounded in scientific principles.
As well as a UEFA Goalkeeping A Licence, Otte holds a PhD in skill acquisition training in modern football goalkeeping from the German Sport University Cologne and has published numerous research papers on the topic.
His 2021 paper titled
“What do you hear? The effect of stadium noise on football players’ passing performances” is particularly relevant to the methods shown above, which outlines the role of “negative” auditory conditions leading to slower passing time in goalkeepers compared with controlled conditions.
In 2019, Otte co-authored
“Skill Training Periodization in ‘Specialist’ Sports Coaching”, a paper which discusses the benefits of modifying the task (for example, changing the rules in a small-sided game) or equipment (such as using non-round balls to provide less predictable bounce patterns) to isolate a player’s skills within a specific session.
With his academic background, Otte has been consistent in putting scientific theory into practice and looks set to bring a fresh perspective to Liverpool’s goalkeeping coaching following John Achterberg’s departure in the summer after 15 years at the club.
The 33-year-old arrives at Liverpool having been head of goalkeeping for the United States’ men’s national team, joining Slot’s staff early after cutting his holiday short following the USA’s premature exit from the
Copa America this summer.
The German’s experience also includes spells at club level with
Burnley, Hoffenheim and Borussia Monchengladbach, where such creative training methods have been more common in his native country — most prominently at Bayern Munich, where ’keepers
Manuel Neuer and
Yann Sommer were seen wearing the goggles last season.
Goalkeepers coach Michael Rechner at Bayern (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
These methods were introduced to Bayern by goalkeeping coach Michael Rechner, who is known for his innovative methods, having previously used the goggles during his own time at Hoffenheim. Rechner also founded the digital platform “Goalkeeping Development”, which provides resources and activities for professional and amateur goalkeepers — of which ZED FC’s Dida is an ambassador.
“Clubs that integrate such innovative tools often find their players gaining a competitive advantage, particularly in high-pressure situations during matches,” Dida explains.
“When you wear these goggles, they create a challenge in your field of vision, making it harder to react quickly and accurately, similar to the resistance of a weighted vest during running. As you train with the goggles and then remove them, you feel more psychologically agile and confident, as if the challenge has been lifted and your reactions are sharper.”
The Swivel Vision goggles are not the only tools used in modern-day goalkeeping, with Sommer also seen wearing VisionUp training glasses with
Switzerland’s national team, alongside fellow goalkeeper
Gregor Kobel, during Euro 2024 this summer.
These battery-powered devices provide an intermittent shutter — similar to a strobe light — that is designed to improve brain processing speed by creating an effect of slow motion when the ball is moving.
Slot’s predecessor Jurgen Klopp was open-minded in his outlook on Liverpool’s training routine and had a track record of working with individuals who had fresh, innovative ideas.
Specialist throw-in coach Thomas Gronnemark worked with the club for five years, while Klopp called upon the help of surfer Sebastian Steudtner to work on breathing exercises with his squad ahead of the 2019-20 campaign. Most recently, Dr Niklas Hausler and Patrick Hantschke, co-founders of Neuro11,
worked with Liverpool to help them improve at penalties — attaching electrodes to players’ heads to measure brain activity and assist with getting them “in the zone” for spot kicks by reaching their optimal mental state.
Specialist throw-in coach Gronnemark worked with Liverpool for five years (Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
It is clear that
Slot is similarly keen to surround himself with experts within their respective fields to maximise high performance, and the arrival of Otte looks set to provide a fresh dynamic to Liverpool’s coaching staff.
His goalkeepers might not have a clear vision in training, but Otte’s vision for Liverpool’s goalkeeping regime has already begun.
