Either I’m just imagining it or why did it feel like so many penalties were just really badly shot this World Cup?
Whether it was Spain or Japan taking penalties, penalties were sometimes miserably missed by people like Lewandowski or Messi.
First of all, I have to say that I am not a footballer myself.
I’m totally with you on that point. I get a real fit every time I see half-up half left/right penalties shot so poorly. When I take penalties like that, it’s understandable. But professional soccer players compete here.
Above all, people like Messi and Lewandowski only have one task in their job, which is to score goals. Exactly these players belong (rightly) to the best soccer players on this planet. And they are experienced enough that they can handle the pressure in a penalty situation. I simply expect that players like this to smack a stationary ball into the corner unchallenged. Such offensive players have the technical requirements.
Young players who are at a World Cup for the first time and who are perhaps not even final players themselves may get nervous. But please no Busquets, Lewandowski, Messi, etc.
And the absolute cheek is this jumping around when starting. Constantly decelerating, hopping, etc. It looks completely silly and makes you focus more on running than shooting. Lewandowski would not take any more penalties for me.