Why it's time to end stuttered penalties at the World Cup

Yassine Bounou is as good as they get when it comes to saving spot kicks, and when the Real Madrid megastar stuttered during his run-up, there was only going to be one winner.

Lionel Messi, Bruno Guimarães, Jørgen Strand Larsen and Harry Kane, who was allowed to retake his, have also missed from 12 yards after attempting the same technique.

But is it time to ditch the stutter? Here, DAZN News analyses the numbers behind the much-maligned action.

The data behind the debate

Stuttered penalties are not anything new, but they have certainly become a trend in North America, with the game's most reputable names all opting for this method.

Bruno Fernandes has been the master of this technique in the Premier League, but he has since mixed up his routine, missing five spot kicks for Manchester United last season.

At this World Cup, stuttered penalties, including those taken during penalty shootouts, have a 57 per cent conversion rate.

Of course, not all those who adopted this technique missed, with Marko Arnautovic, Raul Jimenez, Neymar, Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo, Yoane Wissa and Kai Havertz all scoring.

As for the non-stuttered penalties, 24 of 35 have been dispatched at a conversion rate of 68 per cent.

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Why are stuttered penalties being saved?

The clearest reason why stuttered penalties are being saved is that goalkeepers are not diving early and are anticipating this method.

When these types of spot kicks pay off, it is often because shot-stoppers dive early, leaving the taker with time to slot into the empty corner of the net.

However, with so many penalties being taken this way, goalkeepers are gambling by standing their ground, and this has therefore been more fruitful, as supported by the data.

Another reason why these penalties are failing more is that once a player has stuttered, they are unable to generate as much power, giving goalkeepers more time to dive for the ball.

Kane, who has been incredibly reliable over his career by blasting the ball into the corner of the net, found this the case when he bizarrely adopted the new technique against Croatia in the group stage.

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Stuttered penalties have still been less common than the more traditional run-up, but players are still backing themselves via this method despite the data.

Some players have remained defiant despite missing their stuttered spot kicks, with England's Eberechi Eze vowing to stick by his method despite firing wide for Arsenal in the Champions League final.

When asked whether he would ditch the technique, he told The Telegraph, "No, I think I have taken penalties for a long time, and it’s part of the journey.

“You have to continue to improve, find new ways to improve. I’m not going to stress too much about it because I know I’m in this position for a reason and all the training behind it.”

Players will continue to do what they deem best, and if that is a stuttered penalty then so be it, but not only is it statistically a riskier option at this World Cup but it also carries ultimate weight.

DAZN/FIFA

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