Friday, March 13, 2009

Left! No, right! No! Stutter-step, then chip it down the middle like a doof!



Ever wished you had cold, hard scientific data on the absolute best way to take a penalty?

Your wait is over. Start shining up the Nobel.


- Greg Seltzer
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7 comments:

George H said...

I'm always amazed on how professional players flub PK's. True, the pressure is all on the taker, but if you have a solid plan and good technique, it's easy to do.

Off topic, but after watching the Hoff-Werder Bremen highlights over the weekend, I'm surprised you haven't commented on Sanogo's epic performance. How often does an on-loan striker hit the post three times in one game while playing against the team that he's currently under contract with? How he was even able to play in the match, I'll never know.

I guess that tells us everything that we need to know how much Werder values him.

March 13, 2009 1:13 PM
Kevin O'Riordan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
March 13, 2009 2:04 PM
KO said...

George H--

I believe your comment may lack experience to back it up. A "solid plan and good technique" is something that anyone can pick up. Taking a penalty kick is, in large part, about mental strength and confidence. I have a feeling that Max Tonetto had a plan and clearly has strong technical skills. But when 80,000 people (mostly Roma fans) are watching you, and your team's Champion's League fate rests on one kick, I would guess that it is 95% mental fortitude and confidence.

March 13, 2009 2:06 PM
George H said...

KO,

You make a good point about mental toughness and confidence, especially after 120 minutes of match play and the pressure of the Champions League. There's no denying that.

However, Tonetto clearly didn't have a good plan because Almunia clearly unnerved him and forced him into a terrible alternative.

While he has great technical skills as a player, I'm sure that taking penalties isn't one of them, evidenced by him being Roma's 8th player to take a spot kick.

March 13, 2009 4:16 PM
KO said...

George H--

I think you just made my point. If "Almunia clearly unnerved him and forced him into a terrible alternative," then Tonetto was not particularly confident or mentally strong. Indeed, perhaps the reason he was kicking 8th wasn't because he lacked the technical skill to, well, kick a ball in the right place. Rather, maybe he was kicking 8th because the gaffer knew Tonetto easily became unnerved by high-pressure situations (i.e. that he lacked the mental fortitude, notwithstanding his skill, to convert the spot kick).

I am not saying that a "plan" and technical skill don't matter. I am saying that the "plan" is what we call "picking a spot." The technical skill to put the ball in the spot is something I would imagine most Serie A, EPL, etc. players have. The variable is whether they second guess their spot, think about the consequences, and lack confidence in their ability, and so on.

March 13, 2009 4:36 PM
George H said...

I don't think that I proved your point. You think that Tonetto missed because he couldn't handle the pressure while I believe that he blazed it over the bar since he had no Plan B when Almunia took away his Plan A.

In any event, it was a fun debate to have.

March 13, 2009 6:40 PM
KO said...

George H--

Again, I think you may prove my point. When taking a penalty, there is no "Plan B." You pick your spot and strike the ball. I don't know how Almunia could change his mind...If Almunia "unnerved" Tonetto, then he failed to maintain his mental strength. I am not faulting him...god knows I don't have the guts to perform on that stage (or the talent or stamina, I suppose!)

March 13, 2009 6:58 PM

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