Surely any professional footballer, paid many tens of thousands of pounds a week, should be able to score unchallenged from 12 yards? Apparently not.
Against Liverpool, Spurs once again showed that despite their tremendous form and obvious qualities, they have one collective and rather worrying flaw….an inability to score penalties.
Manager Harry Redknapp told talksport after the game that he was desperate to find a penalty taker. His tone was jovial but you can bet it wouldn’t have been if Jermain Defoe’s miss had cost Spurs. As it was, after a goal at each end by Martin Skrtel, the match looked to be heading for a draw, only for Aaron Lennon to pop up with an injury time winner for the home side.
Spurs deserve an immense amount of credit. Once again they came from behind in the Premier League. They have amassed an impressive 16 points from losing positions already this season. And once again, it was against a member of the “big four” – although how long Liverpool can cling to this tag remains to be seen.
Any Spurs fan looking to criticise their team after a monumental week that has also seen them come from 2-0 down to beat Arsenal at the Emirates and qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League with a game to spare, could be labelled harsh. But their conversion rate from the penalty spot leaves a lot to be desired.
After today’s game, Spurs’ penalties this season look like this:
Crouch vs Young Boys – Scored
Van Der Vaart vs Wolves – Scored
Van Der Vaart vs FC Twente – Saved
Pavlyuchenko vs FC Twente – Scored
Pavlyuchenko vs FC Twente – Scored
Pavlyuchenko vs Blackburn – Missed
Van Der Vaart vs Arsenal – Scored
Bale vs Werden Bremen – Saved
Defoe vs Liverpool – Missed
Only five scored out of 9, a meagre conversion rate of 56%. So far, none of the misses have cost Spurs, but if this pattern continues one will.
The rotation of takers suggests that Redknapp is searching for a genuine penalty specialist, but is yet to find one. Defoe, to his credit, is always keen to step up but has now missed 4 of his last 5 in the Premier League. He should be quietly told to never volunteer again. When Gareth Bale missed against Werder Bremen, Redknapp joked that at least he had found something the young Welshman couldn’t do. Privately, it must have annoyed him.
In truth, this isn’t an issue that will keep fans and management awake at night, but it is a pattern that must stop. If Spurs want to adopt the winning mentality required of “title challengers”, a tag Redknapp and many of his playing staff have now attached to the club, they must learn to be ruthless from 12 yards. Van der Vaart seems the best bet, but he is out injured for over a month. If Spurs get some penalties in his absence, they must hope they can find someone who can keep their nerve.
Living with Granny 