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.
One tweak I think could change the game for the better is to actually make the penalty box smaller.
Obviously this is a generalisation (different scenarios mean some edge of the box fouls are blatant goalscoring opportunities ) but it would have the effect of making any awarded penalty more worthy of such an easy shot.
A byproduct would be in reducing the keepers influence for balls in behind, which could lead to a new dynamic for defenders and attackers.
This is a half-baked armchair idea but as far as I’m concerned it is the single greatest suggestion ever made.