https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/brighton-maty-ryan-not-tallest-goalkeeper-determined/
Maty Ryan: I’m not the tallest goalkeeper but that’s why I’m so determined
Who would have thought a lack of height would be an attributing factor in becoming a Premier League goalkeeper? In the case of Brighton and Hove Albion’s Aussie keeper Maty Ryan, it’s what drove him to move to the other side of the world to prove himself on one of football’s biggest stages. “I’m not the tallest of keepers and even then, I was a late developer, so I was even smaller in comparison to most growing up,” he tells i
it’s what drove him to move to the other side of the world to prove himself on one of football’s biggest stages.
What is still perceived as a weakness in the position by some has become the driving force behind Ryan’s development. “I guess that’s why I’m so determined. I experienced rejection early on because of my height and just wanted to prove how good I was.” After somewhat of an inauspicious start, that’s exactly what he’s doing. “I see you’ve brought the weather with you,” Tim Krul shouts over as the gusts of wind and rain lash against my face. The ex-Newcastle United keeper finding our common ground of the North-east weather to come over and introduce himself. I didn’t think it was worth pointing out I’d only driven from north London where it was bone dry when I left.
I watch on as the keepers move through the session, finishing up by reproducing shooting situations that are likely to occur against the next opponents, Huddersfield Town. It’s interesting to assess all three. The 32-year-old Finn Niki Maenpaa is 6ft 3in and built like an Olympic gymnast, moving around the goal fluidly. Solid and imposing. “He’s unlucky, in a way,” says his coach Ben Roberts. “He’s done really well for since he’s been here and would have been playing if he was anywhere else.”
Tim Krul’s huge frame isn’t so easy on the eye as he adjusts his positions but when I comment on it, Roberts is quick to respond “You should see him when we go in to games. That’s when he comes alive. He’s unbelievable.” True to those words, he is and it’s obvious it’s a coup to have a keeper of his stature as a No 2, albeit after the extenuating circumstances of a serious injury.
Then in steps Maty Ryan. It’s who I’ve come to watch specifically. In stature, Ryan is dwarfed by his two team-mates, but in the quality of his work he stands out. His handling is that little bit cleaner than the other two and his compactness makes his diving shape more efficient, attacking the ball further forward than his taller team-mates. No movement is wasted. Roberts sets up a 1v1 drill where the keepers deal with a ball low to the side and immediately have to react to a second ball by closing down the striker and blocking the ball in a 1v1 situation.
The difference between Ryan and the others is marked. From the moment he dives to hold the first shot to him attacking the ball aggressively to block, it’s all one motion. Even as a server expecting the transition, he can take you by surprise with his speed and be on top of you before you know it. It’s astonishing to watch. “I had 30 match reports filed on him and watched clips of almost every game he’d ever played. We’d followed him for a long time and I pushed hard to get him in.” says Roberts, who can also take great credit in the development of Burnley’s Nick Pope in his previous role at Charlton Athletic, signing him from non-league Bury Town.
Brighton’s goalkeeping department is thorough. Assisted by Casper Ankergren and their two analysts, extensive dossiers are created on each potential target. “Next to the other keepers available, he [Ryan] was head and shoulders above the rest. We have a template but we want well-rounded keepers. What stood out was how much he caught, rather than parried. And his speed is incredible.”
Sore loser Ryan’s natural ability comes from his family background. Predominantly from his Kilmarnock-born mother and grandparents. “My mum, Carol, played tennis, and my grandmother is still head of the local netball team back home,” he says. Tennis played a big part in his life until the decision to focus on one sport had to be made. “Mum and dad divorced when I was 10. The problem with tennis was I was a sore loser and when I lost I’d smash my racket. Being a single mum, she couldn’t afford to keep buying a new one so I settled on football.” The sport changed, but the similarities between playing tennis and being a goalkeeper were still there. “The solitary mentality is the same in both, but the physical nature of the game and having team-mates around helped me deal with my frustrations.” Ryan though, is adaptable.
From those early days at renowned Westfield Sports High School in the suburbs of Sydney he moved an hour’s drive to Gosford to sign for A-League side Central Coast Mariners, where he lived in the family holiday caravan and continued his goalkeeping education under now Australia Under23 coach John Crawley. “We knew he had quality but it wasn’t until we threw him in at 18 years old that we realised his full potential,” Crawley said recently. Big-money move From there it was on to Club Brugge and Genk in Belguim, via a big-money move to Valencia, where things just never clicked for him. “We knew it was about him being a victim of circumstance more than anything else. The upheaval was damaging,” remarked Roberts. Complications with an infected wound after a routine knee operation didn’t help either.
After a loan spell back to Belgium, despite interest from Osasuna and Levante in La Liga, Ryan was informed of Brighton’s interest and took a phone call from his future goalkeeper coach. “I was impressed by the work Ben had done on me. They sent me a video of the training facilities and I was impressed.”. Once permission had been granted, Roberts made the call not only to question Ryan’s willingness to come to Brighton, but to assess Ryan’s character too. “I knew he could potentially be one of the best keepers in the Premier League, I just wanted to see if he believed it too.” He did, but only after a wobble at the start of his life in England. “I had a difficult time at Valencia. I played in the 7-0 defeat to Barcelona under Gary Neville but I was still playing okay. Then I came here and I conceded a bad goal against Atletico Madrid in pre-season and another two in the next games against Manchester City and Leicester. I just thought I was unlucky. “The goal against Atletico was from a long way out but Shane Duffy ducked and I saw the ball very late. That’s what you don’t see unless you’re stood in goal with me. Then [Brighton defender] Lewis Dunk has a bullet header at me in the next game. I relaxed when I saw him heading the ball so I was caught unexpected [by the own goal]. In the Leicester game, Dunk is a metre in front of me when the ball passes him and I just have to react. They look worse than what they are.”.
These aren’t excuses, just explanations. And despite his philosophical attitude to them now, he admits they did affect him. “Three incidents like this, in three straight games. It had never happened to me before. I’d always had an adaption period at every new club, but I hadn’t got in my rhythm yet. I started overthinking and an anxiety crept in to my game. Everyone will tell you to move on. You even tell yourself. But it affects you in every way.”.
The turning point came prior to the West Bromwich Albion game in September. “I had just come back from national-team duty when I got a call from my old manager, Graham Arnold, who I’d had at Central Coast Mariners. He’d seen my games and nailed exactly what was happening to me. He said I looked like I had lost confidence and he put me in touch with a guy called Mike Conway, the emotional intelligence, resilience and mental agility coach at Sydney FC. He put me back on track with breathing techniques and positive thinking. Most importantly, he got me smiling and on the right path to live the best quality of life. I believed in myself again and that allow my instincts to take over in a positive way.”
The odd freak Serge Aurier goal aside, Ryan has begun to prove his goalkeeping coach and his manager Chris Hughton right with displays of consistency, but the initial hiccups were perhaps to be expected. “The move to England has meant the biggest adjustment to my style I’ve had to make. I’ve been a more proactive keeper in the past, especially when playing for Australia. “I’m expected to take more risks, sweep up and deal with high balls because my teams have defended a little higher, which means you get a look at the ball for longer when dealing with shots and crosses. Here at Brighton, we defend deep and I have learned to allow Dunk and Duffy to win the ball and more often than not, I pick up the pieces. So that means working on deflected shots and reactions in training because that’s what will happen more as a result of how we defend.”
With the ball at his feet he has been restricted in showing his full capabilities but he looks at this as just a different way of playing rather than a negative. As it turned it, the horrendous wind and rain proved the best ones in which to gauge Maty Ryan’s ability. If only briefly. But above all the talent which is clear, it’s his ability to learn and adjust that’s his strength and more than makes up for any perceived notions about his height. “I’ve never performed badly because of my height. It’s more about my positions, my decisions, my timing and physical attributes like my speed. If I know that those are all right, then it doesn’t matter how tall I am.”
