Thursday 16th December 2010
Prior to last weekend’s football, I wrote about the importance of a team having a number one penalty taker, with regard to the flurry of penalty misses that have prevented Brighton and Hove Albion from having a far more comfortable lead at the top of League One. The following day, striker Glenn Murray had the opportunity to put Albion in front against Huddersfield, only to see his weak penalty saved by Terriers keeper Alex Smithies.
To further expand on my point, I explained how Chelsea have benefited so greatly in recent times from having Frank Lampard as their number one taker. At White Hart Lane on Sunday, Chelsea were awarded an injury time penalty to earn all three points against Spurs. Frank Lampard was on the pitch, but Didier Drogba decided he wanted to prove a point after being left out of the starting line up. Heurelho Gomes dived the right way, and Chelsea dropped two points.
According to Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti, “Frank Lampard was not able to shoot because he did not train”. Not fit enough to kick a ball from twelve yards? Or perhaps his lack of training meant he had forgotten the art of penalty taking. Either way, a costly miss from the Ivorian, and I can guarantee that if Chelsea win a penalty against Man United on Sunday, assuming he is on the pitch, Lampard will take it.
Back to Gus’ Seagulls, and it seems that they don’t know who their number one penalty taker is. Glenn Murray, loanee Chris Wood, and Elliott Bennett have all taken, and missed penalties this season, and when we look back in May, will those misses and dropped points count against Albion in their hunt for promotion?
If Brighton are awarded a penalty against Notts County, Gus Poyet insists he knows who will take it. “I’ve never seen a team practising so many penalties like us this week”, added the Uruguayan, who will ensure his team are top at Christmas with at least a point on Friday night.
Many would argue that practising penalties in training cannot prepare you for the real thing. Spurs and Ireland striker Robbie Keane thinks it‘s psychological, “When it comes to a game situation, it’s completely different. You’ve got 50,000 people booing you before you go up to take it”. Whilst Albion don’t have that number of people willing them to fail, it certainly is a test of nerve.
The pressure on a penalty taker is enormous: whether in a World Cup final watched by 700 million people, or on a Sunday morning watched by a man and his dog. It can be the difference between winning and losing; people are relying on you and only you, and what’s more, there is an expectation that you will score. When a team wins a penalty, it is common to see the players celebrating the decision as if it were a goal. That would suggest a certain amount of assurance that the penalty will be tucked away nicely. All of this cannot ease the pressure on the taker.
What it all boils down to is confidence, which is borne out of experience, practise, and most importantly, belief. I don’t think it is merely coincidence that Didier Drogba and Wayne Rooney both missed penalties last weekend whilst experiencing a dip in form. Even the best players in the world miss sometimes; proof that ability has very little to do with it.
In terms of Brighton’s penalty record of late, I don’t think it helps that the last three have been taken by three different players. It seems to suggest a lack of faith in the supposed main takers. Also, Poyet can’t seem to settle on his forwards. In the last four league games, in which they have lost two and drawn two, he has gone with three different pairings up front, and no single striker has nailed down his place in the side.
This extends beyond penalty taking; since Ashley Barnes and Glenn Murray’s partnership has been disturbed, Albion have struggled for goals. Of course, it is completely unfair to blame Chris Wood so early in his loan spell, but Albion seemed content with Barnes and Murray up front. Twelve goals in four games put them eight points clear at the beginning of November, and both players started all those games. Since then, four games, four goals and just two points - Barnes and Murray only started together in one out of the four.
I’m being very harsh on Chris Wood to suggest that his inclusion in the side has disturbed things, especially as the poor run has coincided with the loss of Kazenga Lua Lua. However, it will be interesting to see if Poyet reverts back to the Murray and Barnes partnership for the Friday night match. If he does, I would imagine Ashley Barnes will be first choice penalty taker considering his decent record from twelve yards. And if the decision is proved to be a good one, it may give the manager confidence to stick with the front pairing that has helped Albion exceed expectations.
And maybe they’ll score a penalty…
Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Notts County - Friday 17th December, 19.45pm
Sports Saturday with Ben Holt, 2-6pm, Brighton's Juice 107.2, juicebrighton.com
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