With Jorginho missing a penalty in Chelsea‘s latest match against Krasnodar, his second of the season, fans have been clamouring for the club’s latest star signing, Timo Werner, to be the first-choice penalty taker. Now, their wishes may actually come true as manager Frank Lampard has confirmed ongoing talks with the pair.
Chelsea Could Have a New Penalty Taker Soon
Unusual but Effective Technique for Jorginho
Jorginho has patented the hop-skip-step routine throughout his career. While it sounds more like a dance, it’s actually one of the most effective penalty techniques in the league. In his entire career, he has taken 26 penalties and only missed three.
However, two of those misses have come in the span of a month, and he is only 3/5 this season. Two of his three goals came against Crystal Palace, where he had an argument with Tammy Abraham over who would take the second penalty. Captain Cesar Azpilicueta rightly stepped in and gave the ball to Jorginho.
Having an established hierarchy for penalty-taking is important, and no one knows that more than Lampard himself, who was always Chelsea’s first option from the spot. He scored some incredibly important penalties for the Blues, totalling 60 in his career. Jorginho is the number one option at the moment, so he should be taking every penalty. But that could soon change.
Timo Werner Equally as Clinical
As effective as Jorginho usually is, watching that slow run-up and hop must be nerve-racking for all Chelsea fans. Conversely, watching Werner absolutely blast it in from 12 yards against Krasnodar would have been a welcome sight.
In his career, Werner has taken 17 penalties and only missed three, with two of those coming in blowout games (scorelines of 5-0 and over). He is as dependable as you can get from the spot, and he has certainly staked his claim to be considered as the first-choice option.
It’s also far more important for a striker’s confidence to score goals than it is for a defensive midfielder. Jorginho scoring or missing a penalty will not affect his build-up play in possession, but it could affect Werner’s confidence and finishing ability, which can easily decide a game.
For that reason, it could make lots of sense to have Werner as the primary penalty taker. Boosting his goal tally can only do him good, and he could use it if he harbours hopes of a Golden Boot chase.
For now, though, they will simply speak about the penalty duties. As the club’s vice-captain, Jorginho understands that it’s important for Werner’s confidence and might step aside. Similarly, Werner may not want to cause a rift with one of the established players and leave it for Jorginho.
It will be very interesting to see what happens if Chelsea get a penalty at Turf Moor on Saturday.
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