Different team game models require different goalkeeper skill sets. A low-block team needs a dominant shot-stopper who can handle high shot volumes and aerial crosses — distribution is less critical. A high-press team needs a GK comfortable with the ball at their feet, active in coming off their line, and precise in distribution to quickly restart after winning the ball high. Recruiting or developing the wrong GK profile for the team's model is a systematic error that stat-neutral scouting will miss.
Map game model requirements to GK skill demands: (1) high press → high distribution quality, sweeper-keeper range, comfort under pressure on the ball; (2) mid block → balanced profile, solid on crosses, mid-range shot stopping; (3) low block / defensive → dominant shot stopper, cross collection, minimal distribution required. Then build GK evaluation metrics that match — don't evaluate a sweeper-keeper on save percentage alone if their value is in sweeping.
A team's shot concession profile (% of xG from 1v1s, headers, long-range, etc.) is highly repeatable season after season (R-squared = 0.7 in the Premier League). Liverpool consistently conceded ~42% of xG via 1v1 across multiple seasons. Burnley consistently had the highest long-range shot percentage. This means the TEAM's defensive style — not opponent randomness — determines what shots the GK faces. You can recruit a GK optimized for your specific concession profile and know the profile will persist.