Paying the Penalty

 

There were plenty of talking points about penalty kicks last season when saves by substitute goalkeeper Deryn Brace helped Carmarthen to the semi-finals of the Welsh Cup and a penalty save by Ben Foster was crucial in taking the Carling Cup to Manchester United.

Neither of them are regular goalkeepers in their respective leagues, so what was it that inspired them to get down to make those crucial saves.

Before the law change that goalkeepers could move sideways along the goal-line before the ball is kicked, there were many arguments when penalties were saved as to whether the goalkeeper had unfairly moved.   I have no statistic to support a theory that there are less goals since the Law change, my view is that the legislation was brought in to legitimise the movement of the goalkeepers, meaning that the ratio of successful penalties to those missed is about the same.

What is different is that there are many more penalties through shoot-outs in cup competitions at all levels of football so there is more chance for goalkeepers to shine.  There is a lot of psychology surrounding the taking and saving of penalties in the modern game.   Teams practice taking penalties and goalkeepers have longer sessions facing them in training to get used to this stressful situation.   Successful penalty kickers seem to have the composure and placement of shot to score,  goalkeepers who are hard to beat have a strong determination, belief and agility to make the penalty kick situation anything but the foregone conclusion it once was.

Spectators have been conditioned to think that the award of a penalty is the addition of a certain goal.  Maybe it should be, but it is still the ultimate one-on-one situation with restrictions to both.  Fortune favours the brave with as big a boost to the morale of a team whose goalkeeper has saved a penalty, as to a team who have just scored to give confidence as well as another goal to their score.

Some junior competitions do not include penalty kicks for very young players in recognition of the pressure it puts on those directly involved.

Author: B. Steer

Filed under: Football News

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