"The job was more psychological than technical or tactical" - Former SC East Bengal goalkeeper coach Mihir Sawant discusses his role

Goalkeepers have played a pivotal role in football teams since time immemorial. However, with the advancement of the sport through the decades, goalkeepers have witnessed a massive change in the demands concerning their skillset.

In the modern era, the goalkeeper is more than just a shot-stopper. The custodian of the goal is now considered the first attacker. More and more teams are adapting to playing a brand of football that involves keeping the ball and initiating attacks right from goal-kicks.

The revolution has struck the Indian football scene as well. With the advent of foreign coaches, the preference for ball-playing goalkeepers over ordinary shot-stoppers has seen a sharp rise in the last few years.

Due to this, it has become essential for goalkeeper coaches to address the situation differently than was done before.

Sportskeeda caught up with Mihir Sawant, former Gokulam Kerala FC, Mohammedan SC, and SC East Bengal goalkeeper coach. Talking about the evolution of goalkeepers and his journey of molding better custodians for Indian football, Sawant shared his experience.

He also talked about how he ended up working with top stars like Arindam Bhattacharya and Sankar Roy.

Mihir Sawant's latest assignment was with SC East Bengal, with whom he spent a comparatively short time. During his time with the Red and Gold Brigade, he worked with Arindam Bhattacharya, Sankar Roy, and Suvam Sen.

SC East Bengal has had a disappointing Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 campaign. By the time Mihir Sawant joined the camp, the Red and Gold Brigade had already gone through a few tough occasions on the pitch. Shedding light on his time with SC East Bengal, Mihir said:

"I was with the team for a very short time. After speaking to the goalkeepers, I was aware that the job was more psychological than technical or tactical.

"The approach was devised in a manner that suited the situation. We had three goalkeepers and I became the fourth. Training was usually on the lines of what was needed to minimize the issues that created problems for them.

"Be it a normal training session or a pre-game warm-up session, the goalkeepers shared how they envisioned a situation and we worked our way around it."

Mihir Sawant on Sankar Roy

Former SC East Bengal goalkeeper Sankar Roy was comparatively shorter than Arindam Bhattacharya. The notion with most coaches is that they prefer a taller custodian in between the sticks.

However, Mihir was impressed with Sankar Roy's ability to focus on his strengths and stand firm under the bar. On having to work with Sankar Roy, Sawant said:

"He is that he's that gap filler between the tall goalkeepers and the short ones. He's very good with his feet. His reach is good. He communicates well. So, if these three attributes are taken care of, a goalkeeper becomes an easy choice for their coach.

"There have been situations where I felt that having a tall goalkeeper would make the job easier. But again, even the tall ones can come with a few disadvantages. Whereas if you are playing against a team with tall forwards, a short goalkeeper may face issues coping up with them."

Mihir Sawant on training techniques for goalkeeper coaches

Training goalkeepers based on the strengths of the opposition can also be tricky, especially given how teams have evolved in their all-around approach to matches. Sawant shared some insight on how it starts with an analysis to plan and take into consideration what the head coach demands.

"The goalkeeping coach always works with the head coach. So, if there is an opponent whose aim is to flood the box with crosses and at the same time your head coach is working on crosses, you'd want to line the goalkeepers up and put them to the test.

"The session begins with warm-ups to the basics, to the technicals, to the tactical and then the game situation. So this is how we segregate the training sessions. Emphasis is laid onto the opponent team's wingers' crossing abilities and how the forwards move inside the box. This gives an idea as to how the session can be planned."

The role of goalkeepers has seen a sharp change over the years. As a result, goalkeeper coaches have had to make the necessary adaptations to their methods in preparing goalkeepers for the challenge. On this note, Mihir Sawant said:

"It is rare to come across a goalkeeper who is good with his feet. I think in India, it's a rarity. Training goalkeepers to use their feet at senior level is definitely a challenge and we, as coaches, need to adapt to this change. But for me, training Sankar Roy was an experience.

"I think he is ambidextrous. Yes, maybe he is short, but if you are looking for a goalkeeper to play the role of an 11th player, then Sankar (Roy) is the go-to guy.

"In my case, I often try practicing rondos with my keepers to give a feel of the real-life situation. This helps them work on their ball-playing skills, especially for scenarios when an opposing side loves to press high. There are a few other things that I work on to help goalkeepers deal with the in-game ball-playing scenarios."

Mihir Sawant proceeded to talk about how the role of a coach has evolved into a full-time job in recent years. He further added that irrespective of the job, the amount of labor that is required to make a team tick in all departments is a massive responsibility for everyone associated with the team.