Is the ingenuity of Vladimir Al-Fayhaa goalkeeper enough in front of Al-Hilal?
Goalkeeping experts said that the “King’s Cup final” requires effort from his teammates as well
Wednesday – 17 Shawwal 1443 AH – 18 May 2022 AD Issue No. [
15877]
Al-Fayhaa goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic (Middle East)

Dammam: Ali Al-Qattan
Serbian Vladimir Stojkovic, goalkeeper of Al-Fayhaa team, drew attention, and received wide praise from his club’s supporters, especially; And the followers of the Saudi football competitions in general, after he made the difference with his team returning to the professional league, and contributed to entering the warmth zone in the table, as was his major imprint in leading Al-Fayhaa to the “King’s Cup” final after Al-Ittihad excluded the league leader.
The goalkeeper kept his team’s sheets clean more than 10 times, setting an unprecedented record. Both in the league championship and in the cup, where the difference in the matches he participates in from the matches he is absent from, where Al-Fayha received in his last matches in the league 3 goals from Al-Hazm, the last place in the absence of Vladimir, but before that, Al-Hilal strikers were unable to visit Al-Fayhaa’s net in His presence in the postponed match that brought the two teams together in the league, which also gives an indication that the goalkeeper has great prestige while protecting his team’s net.
He had a major contribution to Al-Fayha’ reaching the final for the most expensive cups when he stood alone in front of the torrent of federal attacks and achieved the biggest surprises in eliminating Al-Ittihad, which tops the league with full force, and was the strongest candidate to reach the final of the “Cup”, which is the most expensive football tournament in Saudi Arabia.
Alaa Rawas, the former coach in the Saudi national teams and Al-Ittihad club, believes that Vladimir has the characteristics of a great goalkeeper who makes the difference in his team; “It gives the team great satisfaction and can contribute strongly to making the achievement.”
He added: “It is true that a distinguished guard can lead you to achievement, but there is a point that cannot be ignored; It is the extent of the understanding made by the goalkeeper with his colleagues, who had a contribution to making the team reach the final.”
He pointed out that “Whoever watched the match that brought together Al-Fayhaa in the semi-finals of the King’s Cup, realizes that Vladimir contributed (90 percent) to the victory by blocking dangerous balls, to the point of presenting a very fabulous level in every sense of the word.”
And about the most prominent characteristics that distinguish Vladimir as a goalkeeper, Rawas said: “I think it is the high concentration, the sense, the experience, and the exit to the crosses at the right time. , as well as high expectations, and he has the charisma of a goalkeeper with prestige in the goal, like Al-Ittihad goalkeeper Grohe.”
Referring to the brilliance that the goalkeeper shows in the matches that are held in Majmaah, compared to what he presents in the matches outside his club’s land, explaining that this is normal because he knows “every inch” on the field.
On what the goalkeeper can contribute to the King’s Cup final against Al Hilal, Rawas said: “Vladimir is a giant goalkeeper and has his value, but he cannot bear the match alone, especially since Al Hilal is strong and experienced in tournaments, and the match will be held in Jeddah, and this means that it is The goalkeeper will lose the advantage of knowing all the details of the stadium where the match will be played.”
Rawas stressed that “the two teams, by reaching the grand final, received the honor of peace over the sponsor of the match, which bears a name dear to everyone; The two teams will have the honor of greeting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and this is the main gain for both teams and for athletes in general.”
As for Khaled Al-Dosari, the former goalkeeper of the Saudi national team and Al-Nahda club, he considered that goalkeeper Vladimir “provides a high technical performance with his team; He has mental presence, physical strength, and time to catch the balls or clear them, and this type of goalkeeper is very comfortable for any team.”
He added, “The goalkeeper can contribute a great deal to his team’s victories. However, this also requires strength in defense and attack; Because the goalkeeper can save many balls, but do the players take advantage of this creativity and score goals? This happened in the last league match between them, where defender Sami Khaibari scored the winning goal, but it always happens.”
He added: “The goalkeeper can excel and shine, but in the strength of Al-Hilal’s attack and the diversity of the sources of danger in the team, it is difficult for the goalkeeper to withstand this torrent alone, and therefore the goalkeeper should not carry Vladimir over his energy,” recalling that “Al-Nahda achieved in one season (16) ) equalized the guard force, but in the result the rest of the lines were not as they should to make a great achievement.
And he indicated that the advantage of Al-Fayhaa goalkeeper is that he “confids himself to the point of stopping balls even inside the (6) line, and this is very rare at the level of goalkeepers in the world.”
As for coach Hamad Al-Yami, coach of the Saudi national team guards in the World Cup 2018 qualifiers and coach of the Ettifaq guards for this season, he stressed that “the advantages that the Al-Fayhaa goalkeeper have are many; The most prominent of them are mental presence, the ability to deal with all circumstances, as well as the high height, and the ability to catch high and cross balls.”
He added: “The goalkeeper sometimes represents half of the teams or much more, but he must have a distinguished line of defense as well, and a middle and attack as much as aspirations, so that the results appear on the ground, and benefit the team in general, and this is what is required in teams that have guards at the level of as high as the flicker.”
He pointed out that the goalkeeper, “Vladimir is a big name, and he was his country’s goalkeeper in the World Cup in Russia, and he guarded the nets of great teams in Europe, and these experiences benefited him in his presence with Al-Fayhaa, where he plays on the loan system.”
He pointed out that “each goalkeeper has strengths and weaknesses; One of Vladimir’s most important weaknesses is the balls due to his advanced age, while his creativity appears on the high balls.”
It was noted that Vladimir is 38 years old, and this is what made his compatriot coach Vuk Razovic work hard to convince the Fayhaa administration to sign him. According to the coach himself, the goalkeeper convinced everyone and was required to stay by the management of his current club, which is seeking to extend his loan from his club Partizan.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi League
Source: aawsat