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Missed penalties have already cost Manchester City dearly this season but, as Erling Haaland continued his mastery of the spot-kick art with two against Wolverhampton Wanderers, statistics suggested that will not happen again over the closing days of the title race.
The Norwegian, who missed the penalty shoot-out defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League last month, took his tally for the season to eight out of nine penalties, 16 of 18 for his City career, and a conversion rate of a super-elite 89 per cent.
Interestingly, until Haaland’s arrival, penalties had been a problem for Pep Guardiola’s side – 27 misses in his seven seasons before this – with an average conversion rate ranging from a low of 62.5 per cent to a high of 78.5.
Considering the “industry standard” is 85 per cent, and the Premier League this season hitting 88.5, this is a rare area in which Guardiola’s team has proved sub-par on his watch.
Now? Not so much. City, as a team, have scored 12 of 13 this season – Haaland’s miss against Sheffield United the only one – and a conversion rate of 92.3 per cent is, by a long way, the best ever by a Guardiola City team.
“Having mental strength is a skill as well,” Guardiola said. “And the people say ‘ooh the penalty shooting is down to luck.’ No it’s not.
“If you are a good taker you have a better chance, if you are a good keeper you have a better chance and Erling is, of course, going to miss penalties, but everyone know he is a good taker. He thinks I am going to take a penalty, I am going to score. It’s his confidence. That’s right.”
Haaland’s unflappable nature extended off the field following the 5-1 win, with a post-match interviewer gamely trying to elicit a response when he suggested the recent quotes from Roy Keane, labelling him a “League Two” striker, must serve as an inspiration.
“I don’t really care that much about that man, so that’s all right,” Haaland said. “The boys have been through this many years — the club also. I’ve got experience from last year, it’s about focusing on game by game.”
Game by game is how City and Arsenal must take the concluding fortnight of the campaign, with five left in total – three for City, two for Arsenal.
For many weeks now, the two combatants, plus Liverpool, have had their kick-off times staggered by television demands, although Guardiola has cut through talk of mind games or advantages of going first or last with some very simple maths.
POV: you’re the goal-mouth camera watching Erling Haaland’s penalty
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 4, 2024pic.twitter.com/puKQ6K5UI6
Arsenal, he says, will win their remaining two games which means City must do likewise.
“Today we arrived here and the players knew if we don’t win, ciao, ciao, bye bye, next season we see each other! It’s not complicated. It doesn’t matter if it’s before or after,” Guardiola said.
“Since the winter break, the way they [Arsenal] are playing. It’s not the fact that they are winning, it’s the way they play, so you smell that they are not going to lose in the games they have left. They are not going to.”
This is an extract of The Score. Sign up here to receive the newsletter every Monday morning this season for Daniel Storey’s verdict on all 20 Premier League clubs
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