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.
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?
Agreed with this, and to answer some other comments, the problem with handball is the recent changes, not the penalty. The whole point of a punishment for breaking the rules is that it’s worse. If you only have penalties for sure goals then the game would massively change the other way to favour the defender, we would see almost no goals and the game would suck. Its already super hard to score and you want to make it harder by encouraging fouls.
With VAR we should be able to catch a lot more diving, so maybe make the diving punishment worse if you think it’s such a big problem?
Agreed with this, and to answer some other comments, the problem with handball is the recent changes, not the penalty. The whole point of a punishment for breaking the rules is that it’s worse. If you only have penalties for sure goals then the game would massively change the other way to favour the defender, we would see almost no goals and the game would suck. Its already super hard to score and you want to make it harder by encouraging fouls.
With VAR we should be able to catch a lot more diving, so maybe make the diving punishment worse if you think it’s such a big problem?