If Mike Maignan shone, Monday June 6, during Croatia-France (1-1) in the League of Nations, it is also thanks to Franck Raviot. Member of the staff of the France team since 2010, the 48-year-old former doorman is responsible for pampering the goalkeepers of the selection and giving them confidence. Also goalkeeping coach at Inational football institute in Clairefontaine, Raviot supervises the training of young people. He has therefore had a front row seat to witness the evolution of this position in recent years, with for example a greater importance of kicking.
Asked by franceinfo: sport, Franck Raviot spoke about these changes which surround an increasingly exposed position, two days after the exceptional performance of Thibaut Courtois in the final of the Champions League. If the Belgian goalkeeper is described by some as the archetype of the “modern goalkeeper”, in particular because of his large size, Raviot, less dogmatic, defends a complete goalkeeper model, without size being prohibitive.
Franceinfo: sport: What did you think of Thibaut Courtois’ performance in the Champions League final? Have you ever seen such a performance at this level?
Frank Raviot: He made a final like his season, brilliant. He was consistent in his performances, at a very high level. It is clear that it was impassable during this final.
In an interview with “L’Equipe”, just before the final, Courtois explained that a modern goalkeeper today had to be 2 meters and be fast. Do you share this opinion?
I respect, I hear and I listen to everything, but I don’t necessarily share everything. I am not one of those who say that you have to be very tall and 2 meters tall to play at the highest level as a goalkeeper. The very high level is intended for those who see and execute things quickly, with an extremely complete technical background and a very pronounced tactical culture. So to say that you have to be very tall to be able to take on a role at the highest level, I don’t agree with that.
I am convinced that the position has evolved but I have the intimate conviction that the profile of the goalkeeper as I have listed it remains relevant. Hugo [Lloris] is 1m88 and he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
Didier Deschamps often talks about his side, explaining that they must first know how to defend before knowing how to attack. Is that also the case for you with the goalkeepers?
The priority duty for a goalkeeper is not to concede a goal. So he must first fulfill his task, oh so delicate, of last defender. Once he has done so, with pragmatism and accuracy in his gestures, he will be asked to be the first receiver, through short, mid-short or even long play. But the goalkeeper must first know how to use his hands well, protect his goal well because behind there is only one line and no one else. So it is better that he fulfills this task first.
You have noticed that the position has evolved in recent years. We have the impression that there is less and less indulgence vis-à-vis the goalkeepers, because of their growing responsibilities on the pitch.
It is a position that is increasingly exposed, in the media and through the influence it can have on the outcome of a match. The responsibilities are more and more increased because the game means that today, the goalkeeper is judged through his action as the last defender but also as the first receiver, with the orientations he will give to the game.
Even if the goalkeeper represents only one eleventh of the team, it remains a special position, very thankless. So goalkeepers need to feel an overall trust around them.
How do you maintain that trust?
Our role, as a trainer or as a specialist in goalkeepers, is to protect them, to be shields. But we must also send messages to the coaches to explain to them that we must watch over the goalkeeper.
“The goalkeeper is not disposable. So we have to change certain mentalities”
Franck Raviot, goalkeeping coach of the France teamat franceinfo: sport
This need for consideration exists, not through words but through facts. A guardian needs emotional stability.
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In this context, does a system of rotation between two goalkeepers, like what Paris Saint-Germain is doing this season with Donnarumma and Navas, serve the goalkeepers?
I do not pass judgment on what is done elsewhere. It is up to everyone to manage what happens in the clubs or in the selections. I am convinced that when things are clear and transparent, it brings more peace of mind, serenity. The keeper must know where he is going, with clarity and confidence.
The young players in training see this whole situation around the goalkeepers. How do you maintain interest in the vocation of porter?
You have to have a passion for the position, the desire to play between the goals. From the moment this desire exists, it is up to us, through education and the transmission of values, to reinforce this passion. Afterwards, it is clear that the size is a recurring subject. Unfortunately, some profiles today find themselves blocked for the high level in the event of a size deficit during their growth spurt, because clubs are moving towards taller and more athletic profiles. But for me, it’s too reductive.
Do you discuss with the clubs to explain your point of view to them?
This is the message we try to convey to them during our meetings, during training or with the coaches. But it is up to everyone to have an orientation, an internal technical policy.
What are you actually doing at Clairefontaine with the young goalkeepers in training?
Today, the goalkeeper who tends towards the top level must be complete, harmonious, flawless. We cannot hide a technique or an aspect of the position. We put in place certain dominants that will lead the goalkeeper to strengthen his confidence. It is also necessary to ensure that he is a player with hands, feet but also head, to understand and analyze. A goalkeeper in training should not be a consumer but an actor in his training. And then the goalkeeper is not a player dissociated from the collective, he is associated with it. So we offer him integrated sessions with the group where he is confronted with real match situations.
How do you view the generation of doormen who are arriving?
I want to believe that France is a great breeding ground for future great goalkeepers. What I do know is that goalkeeper trainers and coaches do the best they can to ensure that our future goalkeepers are the talents of tomorrow. It is always tricky to blindly project oneself into the future. But we have a common mission which is to ensure that we support our goalkeepers as high as possible and I am optimistic for the future of the position in France.