SEASON 4: PLAYER ROLES ; EPISODE 32: PLAYER ROLE (MODERN KEEPER)

(UPDATE: FALL 2025) In the words of Geoffrey Chaucer: “All good things must come to an end”. Sad to say that this will be the final role that we will be taking a look at within season 4, but boy what an experience it’s been writing these blogs, Soccermanagerite! I’ve been receiving lots of feedback pertaining how they have impacted your game and nothing brings me more joy than that. THANK YOU SO MUCH for your continuous support, and I will do my very best to keep these knowledgeable reads (plus more) coming your way for as long as I can! 🤞🙌 👊

Sounds like a farewell speech, init? Far from it, though.We’re just at the tip of the iceberg, lads! Now then, let’s get onto today’s episode!

Also known as the Sweeper Keeper, ‘Modern Keepers’ have taken the game by storm and, alongside the ‘Wingback’ role, have completely revolutionized the manner in which soccer is played today. These shot stoppers have a lot of similarities to the ‘Keeper’ role when it comes to their basic responsibilities, but they are an extremeley advanced group of players whom will continue to have a massive impact on the way in which the game is played in these modern times.

ATTACKING PHASE

This has to be the most bizarre transformation of a position on the soccer field as ‘Modern Keepers’ are literally an 11th outfield player when your team is in possession. They are brilliant on the ball (for goalkeeping standards) and rarely give away bad possession even in the midst of being under high pressure. ‘Modern Keepers’ have the best angle of being able to complete passes on the pitch so they usually tend to end matches with high passing accuracy. Unfortunately, Soccermanager doesn’t pay too much attention when it comes to the performances of Goalkeepers on the ball, so you’ll never see your ‘M.K’ ( or ‘Keeper’ for that matter) scoring a goal or getting an assist, but don’t be discouraged since you can still envision how your team will set up in possession at goal kicks in order to pass their way through the opposition’s press, or what is happening during an elongated time in possession with your ‘Modern Keeper’ heavily involved.

DEFENSIVE PHASE

If you’re someone who likes to “play offside trap” (Which is incredibly no longer an option in 2025...) and happen to have a ‘Modern Keeper’ between the sticks then you are in great luck as ‘M.K’s’ love venturing out of their 18 yd. box to perform the “Sweeper” part of their game. They’re also elite when it comes to 1V1 situations as their game is built upon that risk element when it comes to defending their goal.

You can of course expect a ‘Modern Keeper’ to perform all of the regular things that every Goalkeeper does during the defensive phase as well.

POSITIONAL TRAITS

The only difference between the ‘Keeper’ role and the ‘Modern Keeper’ role is how both perform when they are in possession, but from a general point of view, Goalkeepers can only play as a GK (Imagine how awesome it would’ve been to place them in different positions or even send them up for a late set piece when we’re losing…).

KEY ATTRIBUTES

The key attributes of a ‘Modern Keeper’ are as follows:

Distribution
One on Ones
Positioning
Aggression
Composure
Leadership

BEST PLAYERS OF ROLE IN SOCCERMANAGER WORLDS

(UPDATE) So, I had to take into consideration the traditional responsibilities of a Goalkeeper rather than just what they provide with the ball at their feet. With that being said, here’s your top 15 ‘Modern Keeepers’ within SMW (As of 2025):

Manuel Neuer 🇩🇪
Becker Alisson 🇧🇷
Marc-André Ter Stegen 🇩🇪  
Moraes Ederson 🇧🇷
David Raya 🇪🇸
Yann Sommer 🇨🇭
Mike Maignan 🇫🇷
Kasper Schmeichel 🇩🇰
André Onana 🇨🇲
Diogo Costa 🇵🇹
Stefan Ortega 🇩🇪
Lucas Chevalier 🇫🇷
Alex Nubel 🇩🇪
Kepa Arrizabalaga 🇪🇸
Robert Sánchez 🇪🇸

Now, that might be the end of our look at the different player roles within Soccermanager, but who said anything about the end of season 4? No siree, we’ve got some more stuff to talk about, so stick around, okay, Soccermanagerite? ADIOS!!! ✌️ ⚽ 🤓