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Penalty Run-Ups: Risky Stutter or Simple Score?
29 Oct
Summary
- Stuttering penalty runs are debated after crucial misses.
- Players use stutter to trick goalkeepers into diving early.
- Joe Gomez, never a scorer, netted a vital penalty.
The 'stutter' penalty run-up is being debated after recent high-profile misses in the Carabao Cup. Chelsea's Valentin Barco and Arsenal's Bruno Guimaraes both attempted this stop-start technique, resulting in their teams being eliminated from the competition.
Players often employ the stutter run-up to try and trick goalkeepers into revealing their intended dive. However, this tactic can backfire, as seen when Barco hit the post and Guimaraes had his shot saved. Even during the recent World Cup, 11 out of 26 stutter penalties were missed.
Despite these failures, the technique is not new, with historical figures like Pele and contemporary stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes utilizing it. FIFA rules permit stopping or feinting during the run-up, provided it's not immediately before striking the ball.
Conversely, Liverpool's Joe Gomez, a defender with no senior goals in 319 appearances, demonstrated a successful, simple penalty run-up, scoring the winning spot-kick against Chelsea. Former players offer mixed opinions, with some decrying the stutter as self-indulgent and others appreciating its potential to buy the taker time.
