Penalty Taker

Who should take penalties if Haaland is not on the pitch?

  • Total voters
    387
I struggle to understand Pep when it comes to penalties. He talks as though it has nothing to do with him who takes them. Mahrez has missed regularly for us and also missed a massive late penalty in the Afcon, his confidence is shot. So he just should not be taking any more and that should be made clear before they go out there, surely.
 
BLUEisville said:
Pep has said in the past that he lets the players decide who takes the penalty. So the manager doesn’t decide! But he also seemed to hint in the post match that he might rethink this approach because 25 missed penalties is dismal.

Whose to say Ilkay wouldn’t be fine taking penalties if there was a clear defined rotation, and he clearly knew when he was up and when someone else was?
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I know he has said that but I think you are taking his words too literal. Obviously he’s going to get player input on who fancies them because a reluctant penalty taker is inevitably a bad penalty taker. But are we seriously going to believe that a manager with as much attention to detail as Guardiola is just totally absolving himself of any decision making on this?

Nobody knows what Gundogan has said on the subject privately. But the fact he hasn’t taken one for City since he missed at Anfield two seasons ago, is pretty strong evidence that he’s not putting himself forward.
 
When the team went over to Mahrez to congratulate him for winning the penalty, Bernardo sternly yet pleadingly looked at Foden and you could see him say ‘YOU TAKE IT!’

Foden didn’t take it!
 
M
Psychedelic Casual said:
When the team went over to Mahrez to congratulate him for winning the penalty, Bernardo sternly yet pleadingly looked at Foden and you could see him say ‘YOU TAKE IT!’

Foden didn’t take it!
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Maybe because he missed his last penalty as well.
Think it was against West Ham in a shootout.
 
Mahrez's penalties are always a similar height and not far enough in the corner or hit with enough pace. Keepers have sussed this and just wait until he hits them. Haaland showed how to take them, aim for the side netting and hit hard.
 
paulchapo said:
Mahrez's penalties are always a similar height and not far enough in the corner or hit with enough pace. Keepers have sussed this and just wait until he hits them. Haaland showed how to take them, aim for the side netting and hit hard.
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Its confidence. Mahrez's confidence is on its arse and should be nowhere near pens and how Pep allows it to keep happening is beyond me. In all honesty he should be nowhere near the team at the moment never mind pens.
 
I know that you need balls of steel to take penalties and so, like Pep, have respect for those that do but the return rate is frankly not acceptable at this level. I've got to the stage now where I expect them to be missed/saved and am pleasantly surprised when they go in. I was actually expecting Haaland to miss on Saturday as well so that was a bonus.

Whether it is technique of they need to draft in someone to team them relaxation techniques (I'm being serious here!) I don't know but something needs to be done. A lot of the missed pens didn't affect the final outcome many do - last night, Copenhagen, Liverpool a couple of seasons ago etc.
 
I've voted Rodri because I think he has the perfect striking technique for a pen. He hits it hard and true and usually with precision.

I'd be interested to see him step up.
 
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Not clear who should be taking the penalties if Haaland isn't on the pitch, but it certainly is clear that person shouldn't be Mahrez. Valid shouts for Rodri imo, as well as De Bruyne, Cancelo.

I'd really like Grealish to be hitting one or two, hopefully kick his confidence on a bit.
 
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