Robin Roefs makes a save for Sunderland in a Premier League game Robin Roefs’ form for Sunderland in 2025-26 played a big part in their Premier League survival 
“One key lesson from recent Premier League seasons is something so basic that it probably shouldn’t need spelling out: If you want to avoid relegation, it’s helpful to have a goalkeeper who can keep the ball out of the net. You’ve probably worked this out already, but there is a genuine point here. As technical, possession-based build-up play has come to dominate professional football, there has been an increasing emphasis upon a goalkeeper’s distribution above traditional aspects of the position. One Arsenal academy goalkeeper was recently interviewed in the matchday programme about his style of goalkeeping, and said his main strength was ‘reading the opposition press’. This would once have been considered an exotic add-on to the standard goalkeeping skill set. But young goalkeepers came to base their game around playing out through pressure. …”
NYT/ATH