Sam Johnstone laughs. No, he says, there is no secret WhatsApp group for Premier League goalkeepers complaining about criticism of their performances by television pundits. But yes, it can get frustrating when people who have never played in goal pick apart their mistakes.
“To go and stand in the goal and see what’s in front of you, I think you feel lonely,” the Crystal Palace goalkeeper says. “There should probably be more ex-keepers commentating because they’ve been there and done it. The outfield commentators are great and know the game well but they’ve not stood in goal and had shots at them.
“You might not see it until the last minute because there’s 10 bodies in front of you. The speed now of the balls, you have to make split decisions in a second with what you’re going to do. They shouldn’t be beaten at their near post – that’s always one. But if someone’s hitting it from eight yards away at 70 or 80 miles an hour and they go for the near post it happens so fast.
“You need to work out where the ball’s going and sometimes it’s past you before you can. If someone cuts it on the edge of the box and puts it back inside it’s not really near post. People say: ‘He should have caught that, he shouldn’t have punched it, he should have come for the cross, he shouldn’t have come for the cross …’ People always pick at stuff. It’s easy to say it rather than experience it.”
Johnstone has experienced a lot. The 30-year-old is devoted to his craft and grows animated as he talks about the intricacies of goalkeeping. “Hours and hours and hours go into it,” he says. “Daily, weekly, for the past 20 years. And you’re still learning. I don’t think you can ever really complete it. There’s always something you need to work on.”
The mind goes back to Johnstone’s upbringing at Manchester United. He is not bitter about never making an appearance for the first team. “To grow up there and have that grounding, you can only ever be grateful for that,” he says. “You’re in a fortunate position to watch some of the top goalies in the world. I remember when I was young and injured, Tony Coton, the goalie coach, told me to come outside and watch the goalies train. David de Gea was two or three years older than me, so to train with him every day was great.”
Johnstone had to move on after multiple loans. He dropped down to the Championship in 2018, joining West Brom, and was confronted with a new style of football. Graeme Jones, who was part of Darren Moore’s backroom staff, wanted Johnstone passing out from the back.
“I was first introduced to it in the youth team at United with Paul McGuinness,” he says. “That was 12 years ago but more and more the goalie needs to be one of the outfield players. Even though I’d grown up at United I’d never really played games that way. If it was on, do it, if not, kick it long.
“All my loan spells it was the same – go long. I was at Aston Villa and I don’t think we ever passed out. I came to West Brom, new team, new players, then a new way of playing. I found it difficult but it was probably one of the biggest learning curves. The ball would go out for a goalkick at a home game and the whole stadium’s booing because they know you’re going to pass out from the back and they don’t want you to do it.
“You have to find solutions while also in the back of your head knowing if it goes wrong it could end up in the back of the net. It was tough but it’s given me tools that if needed I can use. At Palace we can play out if we need to. Or I can clip it into full-backs or go long. Those few months with Graeme Jones and then the Slaven Bilic era at West Brom gave me a lot of tools.”
Johnstone helped West Brom win promotion in 2020 but they were relegated after a season in the Premier League. However, his performances were impressive and he was named in England’s Euro 2020 squad. While shot‑stopping comes first, he thinks being good with his feet helps. “I was 25 at West Brom when I first had to do it in games,” he says. “It’s the way people want their goalie to be.”
Is it harder than ever to be a goalkeeper? Johnstone thinks so but he is thriving. He returned to the top flight after leaving West Brom for Palace in 2022 and has gradually established himself as Roy Hodgson’s No 1, although he had to be patient last season. He struggled with injuries and was behind Vicente Guaita. Johnstone did not start a league game until Guaita picked up an injury in April.
But he remained motivated. “I had to wait my turn, which was tough. I played in all my loans and every game at West Brom for four years. It made me do different things. I was in the gym before breakfast. I’d have my breakfast. I’d go in the gym before training. You’d do the session, you’d end up doing more with the strikers. Have lunch, then gym in the afternoon. I was doing a lot. I felt I couldn’t just train outside, shower and go home. That’s not me. I had to be ready when my chance came.”
Johnstone, who has signed a new long-term deal, has not looked back since starting in a 5-1 win over Leeds. He has kept four clean sheets this season and is back in the England squad after a lengthy absence. With Nick Pope out of favour, it seems Johnstone is competing with Aaron Ramsdale to be No 2 to Jordan Pickford. The race is open and Johnstone played well when England beat Australia last month.
Johnstone, having missed last year’s World Cup, aims to make sure he goes to Euro 2024. But to do that he has to keep playing and he has strong competition at Palace, who signed Dean Henderson last summer.
“It’s going to be hard, isn’t it?” Johnstone says. “It’s going to be tough for whoever’s not playing. It’s going to be tough on the club to handle that. Me and Dean have both got the mentality of wanting to play and not the mentality of being a second choice. Dean’s injured but when he was fit we get along, we’re mates, we push each other. He’ll be thinking: ‘I want to play.’ But I’ll be thinking: ‘I’m playing, I’m going to carry on playing.’ But that probably gets the best out of both of us.”
Johnstone is in a good place but he is not satisfied. “The other day someone asked me when I felt like I made it,” he says. “I still feel like I haven’t. You always want to get better. I’m playing in the Premier League every week for an established club. You’re around good players every day, a good manager, good staff. You can’t let your foot off the gas.”
