Sweeper Keeper
What is the Sweeper Keeper in Football Manager?
Sweeper Keeper
I’ve always wondered what the difference is between a regular goalkeeper and a sweeper keeper in Football Manager.
There’s actually an excellent explanation of this difference over at Dictate The Game. I’ll try to break it down a bit more simply for you.
A sweeper keeper is a combination between a goalkeeper and a central defender playing on a sweeper role — basically, a goalkeeper who isn’t afraid to leave the box and play the ball when he has a chance.
The idea behind using a Sweeper Keeper is that you can use him to initiate attacks. If you’ve got a defense that is somewhat offensively minded — in other words, a defense that plays a bit higher up the pitch — a sweeper keeper will theoretically be able to move the ball quickly into attacking positions as soon as he touches it, catching the opposition off guard.
Effectively Using The Sweeper Keeper
Once you understand the basic concept, the right way to use the sweeper keeper becomes obvious.
You’ll want to couple a sweeper keeper with a higher defensive line, not a lower one.
That’s one of the problems I had early on with PanSa. I tried to play with a lower defensive line and a sweeper keeper for a while. The lower line ensured that my defense was too far away from the midfield, and the sweeper keeper role caused confusion in the back, since my keeper wanted to play right where the defenders were.
If you take a tour of all the “overpowered” tactics that are touted on popular Football Manager websites, you’ll see the sweeper keeper combined with a high or higher defensive line over and over again. It’s a nifty trick to create just a little bit more offense from the back of your formation.
Of course, you’ll also leave yourself open at the back — especially if you’ve got a goalkeeper who isn’t the best at making decisions. Minor details.