Only around 6 / 1,000 shots in the premier league create XG higher than a penalty (so Arsenal had 3/4). And the majority of fouls that lead to a penalty have less than a 10% chance of leading to a goal (including way too many non-deliberate handballs)
Penalties have actually been getting easier with VAR ensuring keepers stay on their lines and the new rules stopping the keepers distracting the taker.
I think it would make the game fairer and more exiting if penalties weren’t an almost guaranteed goal. So I came up with some ideas to reduce the impact of penalties:
- Require the fouled player to take the penalty.
- Offer indirect free kicks for non-deliberate handballs.
- Prohibit stuttered run-ups, making the kicker’s approach more predictable for goalkeepers.
- Move the penalty spot back.
- Use VAR to penalise diving more harshly
Let me know if you agree that penalties are too hard and if so how we could change them?
I’ve also explored more ideas in a new video, consider giving it a watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6elPY8ZvtI.
Football is such a well balanced and fluid game, I don’t get why people want changes made to it. Penalties are perfectly fine, they discourage fouls in an area which teams can score from, an area which is also difficult for teams to advance the ball into and maintain possession in. It’s as much a deterrent for defenders as it is a reward for the attacking team. Football is a notoriously low scoring sport because it’s difficult to score goals, it’s difficult to march the ball up field and craft a shot on goal that leads to a goal, we don’t need less goals, we don’t need defenses being incentivised to snuff out chances illegally because the punishments are less severe.
No. The game should be kept to the original principles as much as possible. If we keep changing things, eventually you have a whole new game.
The game is fine, it just needs better refereeing
So you think it’s okay for a dubious handball on the edge of a box filled with defenders to result in an 80% chance of a goal?