The English Premier League is back! That entertaining goal-scoring league that attracts the largest global audience year after year, has begun, and goals are being scored left, right and centre.
Through the first nine matches in week one, there have been 26 goals scored. This is with Manchester United, who have added the league’s defending scoring champion, Robin Van Persie, still to play. But the interesting thing about these goals is how a relatively high percentage of them have come as a result of penalties.
Last season Manchester United took the most penalty kicks in the league. From 2000-2010 on the other hand, they were received much fewer than most teams. What gives? I don’t want to get into good penalty calls versus bad penalty calls, but certainly there have been too many penalty calls! In just nine games this season, we have already seen seven penalties called.
It’s not just in the EPL either. It seems football leagues around Europe have seen an increase in penalties, and I am getting sick of games being decided this way, especially for undeserving calls. Using my own favourite side, Manchester United, as an example, I acknowledge they were awarded too many penalties last year, which ultimately affected several games in a big way.
I particularly remember one early morning dragging myself out of bed at 6:30am EST while feeling “under the weather” from last night’s festivities, to watch the Devils take on the Queens Park Rangers at Old Trafford. Less than 10 minutes into the match Ashley Young was awarded a penalty shot (taken by Wayne Rooney) for what I believe was a poor call by the referee. And to make matters worse, in addition to the penalty, the referee showed a straight red card. Rooney made good on his shot, and the match appeared ruined in less than 10 minutes. It turns out that QPR actually put on a great performance that day and despite playing with 10 men, that penalty ended up the only goal of the match. Hats off to the Rangers, coal in the stocking for the refs, but you get the idea. QPR down a goal and a soldier at Old Trafford all thanks to a poor penalty call.
Even the line judges can, and do, call penalties, and have become far too penalty happy. I also remember another fine morning getting up early to watch my Devils play Newcastle. United played well, leading 1-0 until late in the match when Rio Ferdinand performed a fantastic and completely “all-ball” tackle against a Newcastle forward in the penalty area. The head referee saw the play just as I did, but moments later pointed at the penalty spot! The linesman had signaled to the referee that Ferdinand had fouled the Newcastle player, changing the referee’s decision to award a penalty. Demba Ba converted the penalty and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
I wonder what might be the cause of this increase in penalties. Is the Premier League trying to increase goal-scoring to suit a new audience (North America, perhaps)? Are players becoming that much better at fabricating fouls? Is the game that much faster that defenders are more often forced into sloppy tackling? Perhaps those are far-fetched, but whatever the cause, penalties are being rewarded with increasing regularity.
This afternoon United heads to Goodison Park with newly-acquired Robin Van Persie. I am genuinely excited for tomorrow’s match. I just hope the game is decided by the players, and not by trigger-happy officials.
Feel free to weigh-in with your thoughts about penalties below.
