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Filip Jorgensen: Scandinavia’s Next Top Goalkeeper

July 5, 2024
Player Analysis, Data Analysis, La Liga Analysis

Filip Jorgensen, a native of Lomma, started his youth career in 2007 with the local Swedish club GIF Nike at the age of five. After moving to Malmo FF, Jorgensen spent six seasons with the youth team between 2008 and 2014. After spending two seasons playing for Santa Catalina and Penya Arrabal, he returned to the Swedish professional team in 2016.

 

Later, Jorgensen played for the Spanish team Mallorca in 2016 before relocating to Villarreal in 2017. Following his induction and advancement through the levels, Jorgensen received a promotion to Segunda Division B’s reserves. He started in the 1-0 loss against SCR Pena Deportiva to mark his senior debut just before signing a five-year contract with the team in November 2020.

 

In the Copa del Rey match in 2021, Filip made his team debut as a substitute. A year later, in 2022, he made his professional debut with the B team. After making his La Liga debut on January 30, 2023, in a 1-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano, Jorgensen was elevated as the team’s first-choice goalkeeper and in the same season he became the goalkeeper with the most number of saves (143) in the league. Since he was 15 years old, Jorgensen has been a member of the Yellow Submarine.

 

 

“Be ready for whenever your opportunity is coming” is a lesson that Filip Jorgensen has perfectly embodied. Being a true beast in front of goal, he has been one of the best additions to this Villarreal team. The Yellow Submarine are renowned for their capacity to maintain a very low defensive block and eliminate opponents who attempt to breach or find openings, but under Juan Ruben, this team has performed differently this season.

 

The sidelines were Villarreal’s strongest asset when they were in possession of the ball. Juan had his fullbacks make inverted runs in the middle of the third quarter, creating space for his wingers on the touchline and his midfielders to support them when the inverted fullbacks covered space and added more numbers. This tactic has greatly aided the men in yellow in attack, but the gaps created by the inverted fullbacks and midfielders have caused havoc for Juan’s team when switching from attack to defence.

 

Villarreal have more players on one side of the pitch during an aggressive transition, and when they lose the ball, the opposition is left with more alternatives and time to respond. As such, this has resulted in facing attacking threats from both the sides and from the centre of the pitch making it hard for the back line and Filip Jorgensen. 

 

 

With the most shots faced in the league, Jorgensen has solidified his position as one of the important players in this club, which has let up as many goals as it has scored. With a save percentage of 72%, the Danish sensation has maintained six clean sheets despite facing about six shots on goal per game.

 

Jorgensen has perhaps received enough credit for helping this squad finish eighth in the league this season, especially with Alexander Sorloth taking centre stage with 23 goals and Alex Baena finishing as the top assist provider in the league. Villarreal have been among the finest offensive teams of the year, but they have also played below average defence and as an average midfield, which has cost them a berth in the European league for next season.

 

 

There are shots that will go in from any direction while playing with a defence that is outnumbered in both space and quantity, and Jorgensen has been productive for Juan because of his situational awareness, reflexes, and intelligence. He has shown to be an unbeatable opponent from a distance and a deft close-range target shooter.

 

Even though this is his first full professional season, he has demonstrated good decision-making skills when it comes to covering angles for the attacker or closing ground. His fitness has never been in doubt, which has allowed him to play the entire league season without suffering an injury and being effective at the same time.

 

Jorgensen’s ability to make the initial save and then the agility to jump up and face the rebound shot has been amazing. Since the first game, he has had excellent footwork and positioning, which has been the main factor preventing him from making long-range attempts.

 

 

The two images above show the same location at different times and under different circumstances. The opposition striker has beaten the back line in the first image, but he is within reach of the final man in yellow. In this scenario, Jorgensen chose to stay upright and close the angle by moving in the right direction to reduce the range, and it worked as he produced an incredible save with his right leg. 

 

In the second image, the opposition striker had a nearly clear shot after beating all of the Villarreal players with a single pass and finding himself open to goal. However, the ball was a little back for the player, requiring him to take an extra touch to set himself up for the shot.

 

Jorgensen then acts incredibly well, sprinting up to the penalty spot before he settles in for the shot, closing the gap and space quickly to make it 1v1. Jorgensen made the save in this spot but the other important thing is, as of the laws a player cannot make a pass beyond the goalkeeper as it will become off-side. This shows the level of intelligence and IQ the young goalkeeper possess with much less experience.

 

 

In the name of modern football, goalkeeping has become much more significant than it was in the past. One crucial component of this role is the ability to play with the ball and participate in build-ups. Although Filip Jorgensen has demonstrated he is a top-notch goalkeeper, he has exhibited signs of nervousness and appears to avoid placing himself in positions where he can receive a pass and rotate the play.

 

Teams now rotate the ball to rotate opponents and force them out of position rather than looking for openings. The goalie is now regarded as a crucial part in this tactical approach to beat the high press and maintain possession, and Jorgensen will need to improve on the ball in order to become one of the top goalkeepers in Europe.

 

Born in Sweden to a Danish father and a Swedish mother, Jorgensen played for Sweden’s U16 and U17 teams before making the switch to Denmark’s U21 side. Eligible to play for either national team, Jorgensen could very well be the long-term heir to either Robin Olsen (34) for Sweden or Kasper Schmeichel (37).

 

Since making the move to El Madrigal in 2017, Jorgensen has made his way through the academy and earned a place in the first team. He’s taken advantage of Geronimo Rulli’s departure to Ajax and has consolidated a starting spot in the XI at the expense of Pepe Reina, and with a contract through 2029, it’s seemingly only a matter of time before he follows in the footsteps of Samuel Chukwueze, Pau Torres and Nicolas Jackson and becomes the latest Villarreal player to earn a big-money move.

 

By: Sive Vishwa / @sive_vishwa

Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Quality Sport Images / Getty Images

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