Through On Goal: How To Be Clinical When You’re One On One With The Goalkeeper – Tactical Theory

Before every game, strikers see pictures of what they want to happen in the game. 

Some imagine using their strength to hold up the ball and dominating the opposition’s centre-backs in the air. 

Others visualise getting countless opportunities to use their speed and skill to torture defenders.

However, all strikers dream of those golden chances when they’re running through on goal and have only the goalkeeper to beat. 

This type of chance is viewed as being one of the easiest in football to convert. 

Coaches, pundits and fans are furious when players fail to convert a 1v1 chance. 

Although these chances can be far more complicated than they look. 

A ‘keeper can charge out to close the angle, giving the centre forward little to aim at. 

The pressure of knowing that this is an excellent opportunity for your side can also weigh heavy on the centre forward, leading them to poorly execute their chosen method of beating the goalkeeper. 

Ultimately, the striker initially failed to decide on the best technique to score, leading them to wish they had attempted another kind of finish. 

The best strikers in the world have an arsenal of techniques that they can call upon when they face the goalkeeper. 

In this analysis of finishing 1v1 opportunities against the goalkeeper, we’ll examine three techniques for beating the goalkeeper. 

We will use one of football’s great forwards as a model for each finish. 

When is the best time to use these techniques, and what variations should all strikers have?

It’s All About Position 

Two things always need to be considered before choosing the technique that will give the best chance of conversion in one-on-one situations. 

The first is a consideration of where you are taking the shot from. 

Former Manchester United first-team coach René Meulensteen used a model to help the players he coached understand where they should finish. 

As seen from above, he split the penalty box into five zones. 

Each zone has a variety of actions that give the player the best chance of scoring. 

Zone 1 is right in the middle of the