Achterberg shares LFC strategy at goalkeeping conference
Liverpool goalkeeping coach John Achterberg was in Poland this week to contribute to a three-day conference on the development of the position.
The Dutchman, who has been with the Reds since 2009, discussed the club’s approach to identifying and improving stoppers who meet the requirements of the role at the Academy and Melwood.
Achterberg explained the profile of a potential LFC goalkeeper, how youngsters are trained in that philosophy as they evolve in Kirkby, and the pre-match preparations at first-team level.
“I did a session on [how Liverpool prepared] one week leading up to the Watford game during the season, where we knew a lot of crosses would come in,” he told Liverpoolfc.com.
“The session was about dealing with crosses and what they need to learn to play in England, in terms of getting blocked, being aggressive and fighting to free themselves in different situations.
“And then when they need to catch, when to punch and things like that. So, there was a lot of technical and tactical information for the coaches to try to help them take things on board in their coaching.”
Around 120 coaches, amateur and professional, had gathered to exchange knowledge and ideas on the subject, including peers from European teams including Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Chelsea, Hertha BSC, Juventus, Napoli and Real Madrid.
