Dutch analyst René van der Gijp has issued a scathing criticism of modern goalkeeping following Tottenham Hotspur's Antonin Kinski's 5-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid.
The 19-year-old made two costly mistakes in this week's Champions League last 16 tie and was replaced by manager Igor Tudor after just sixteen minutes. Since that decision, there has been a wave of debate across Europe.
Kinski made his first Champions League appearance as a replacement for Guglielmo Vicario, struggling under Atlético's high press. Tudor later decided to fire him, citing the need to stabilize the team.
'Something went wrong with modern football'
The Croatian coach has been criticized for that choice. But Van der Gijp disagrees, insisting he fully understands Tudor's decision.
"Of course you have to take it off," Voetbal Primer reported him as saying On Today Inside.
"We were always told not to pass to the keeper. Now they say you should pass to the keeper as much as possible."
Van der Gijp cannot understand the modern obsession with playing out from the back. He believes this option is creating unnecessary risks.
"It will wipe you out and cost you a lot of money. It works with players like Pique or Busquets, but not with everyone else – and yet everyone tries it."
Many former goalkeepers and pundits Tudor was criticized for replacing a young keeper so soon, arguing that it could damage confidence in the long term. However, Johan Dirksen believes the Tottenham manager was implicated somehow.
"If you take the goalie off, it's considered pathetic," Dirksen said. "But if you don't, you are criticized."
symbol of a large strategic division
Kinski's Nightmare Evening has certainly sparked an interesting debate between old-school pragmatism and modern positional play. As Spurs regroup, the question is where they go for.
With a significant possibility of demotion, it would not be surprising if they go for the former. Tudor's efforts so far to change things certainly haven't worked.
Tottenham is currently facing defeat in six consecutive matches. He is also the first manager in Spurs' 143-year history to lose his first four matches in charge. This has created already intense pressure, a situation that does not usually encourage strategic courage.
