FIFA WORLD CUP
World Cup 2018: Lionel Messi’s Penalty Woes Decoded
On Saturday, World Cup debutants Iceland pulled off another shock result at the Otkrytiye Arena. The tiny nation rose above expectations and held Leo Messi and his star-studded Argentina side to a 1-1 draw. Argentina got off to a good start with Sergio Aguero finishing brilliantly in the 19th minute. But the lead did not last long. Argentina’s lackluster goalkeeping and defending was exposed in the 23rd minute. A drilled cross from Sigurdsson caused havoc in the Argentine box and Caballero parried it into the path of Finnbogason who tapped home into an empty net for his country’s first ever World Cup goal. Argentina defended poorly, had a virtually non-existent midfield and despite bossing possession showed no end product in attack.
The Miss:
In the 64th minute Argentina found themselves with a golden opportunity to go ahead. Messi swung a cross into the box and Meza was bundled down by Magnusson before he could get to it. As one would expect, Leo Messi placed the ball down. The talismanic forward has had shaky moments from the spot but you would still expect him to score. Up he stepped and fired a woeful effort just to the right of Halldorsson who saved comfortably and the Icelandic crowd rejoiced. The missed penalty would come back to haunt them. The game ended at 1-1 despite La Albiceleste having a staggering 78% possession.
Reading The Penalties:
Messi is considered as the best player to ever grace the game of football by many. He has revolutionized the way we look at scoring and play-making. He has taken the typical Argentine ‘Gambeta’ style of playing (close control and fast footwork to beat opponents) and added his own twist to it. It is hard to imagine such a great player having such a difficult time with penalties.
Let us see why: Messi often uses the same technique while taking penalties. He shoots the ball at a height that is approximately 2-3 feet above ground level. Additionally, his shots are not placed right into the corners. When a goalkeeper dives to save a penalty, his body is also around 2-3 feet above ground level. When a penalty is at the same height and not into the corner, all the keeper has to do is stretch his arms straight to save the penalty. The only way to score with this technique is if the keeper guesses the wrong way. And that isn’t really up to the kick taker.
History:
Messi has missed crucial penalties on the big stage before. He missed in the 2016 Copa America final shootout. He missed against Chelsea in the Champions League in 2012 which ultimately knocked Barcelona out. In an interview when asked about what he would like to change about his game he stated- “One aspect I’d like to improve about my game? Penalties.” He is also well aware of the one glaringly obvious problem in his game.
Possible Improvements:
Even though Messi knows his curse with penalties, it is baffling why he does not switch up his technique. There are obvious ways in which he can drastically improve his penalties.
How: For starters, an almost foolproof way is to shoot along the floor. This way the keeper has a much harder time getting to the ball even if it is not right into the corner. Coupling this with placing the ball into the bottom corners will almost guarantee a goal. The other way is more glamorous but also requires more practice. Perfecting the power on a penalty so that it hits the net before the keeper can move. Practicing this more so that the ball flies into the top corner will also pretty much guarantee a goal. However the latter is more risky. Too much or too little power and the ball will either fly over the bar or fall comfortably onto the hands of the keeper.
