Losing at End of Game
The game is winding to an end and the goalkeeper's team is losing. The entire team is in a rush to get the ball up the field and score. There are many things that a goalkeeper can do to help their team try to bring the game back.
The first thing to do is to determine when it is necessary to bring more players forward. It is not a good idea to push all of the team up the field when there is 20 minutes left in the game, for example. 15 minutes or less in a game is an excellent time to start pushing players up. The picture below shows how a team would be playing normally throughout the game in a standard 4-4-2 formation.
The next thing to do is communicate with the team. It is vital that that goalkeeper tells their team to start pushing up the field when trying to score a goal to bring the game back. Simultaneously, the goalkeeper needs to start stepping up higher off their line to push their defense higher up the field. Both talking and physically moving forward will give the team the message they need to start pushing up the field. This will push the goalkeeper's team into an attacking state and force the other team to sit back and defend. The picture below shows how the goalkeeper's team should be pushing up in order to try to get the goal back in the same 4-4-2 formation. Notice how high the goalkeeper positioning is as this is the catalyst for the rest of the team to start moving.
The only thing to be wary of is to avoid being counter attacked by the other team. The best way to prevent being counter attacked is for the goalkeeper to organize their defense. If a defender wants to move up higher into the attack, it is important that the goalkeeper recognizes that and tells another defender to drop off and take their space. It is also important to tell the team where the need to be positioned and when to step to the ball when a counter attack is being performed.
Using these steps, the goalkeeper will have the knowledge of how to effectively get their team back in the game. It is important to communicate with the team and recognize the game situation in which it is best to move the team forward.