Brendan Rodgers has admitted he wants his team to be much more adept and consistent with penalty-taking, having identified it as a long-term weakness at Celtic.
The Bhoys have already missed two penalties from five taken this term, the latest coming via David Turnbull on Wednesday night against St Mirren.
Celtic miss a number of penalties each season and it has left many fans frustrated. These moments can be momentum swings in matches, potentially the difference between dropping points and not.
For Rodgers, it’s something the team should be much better at, especially taking into account the technical ability of his players.
Brendan Rodgers pledges to improve Celtic penalties
He said in a press conference today when asked if it is a concern [Celtic FC]: “Yeah. We’re not good enough with penalties. I’ve made that clear. When I look across a period of time here.
“Especially with the gifted players. There are a lot of technically gifted players here. It’s something we will improve on. It’s a skill you can be better at.
“You have to practice and practice and practice and get your routine. It’s something that we do on a daily basis. I can’t deny it’s an area we have to be better in.”
Celtic missed three penalties in the 2022/23 season and four in the 2021/22 campaign, so it’s an issue that has indeed been rumbling on for a while.
Thankfully Rodgers isn’t handwaving it away. He wants his players to put in the necessary work to ensure that this becomes less of a problem during his time here.
Penalty conversion was much stronger during Rodgers’ first spell at the club. Nobody missed a spot-kick during the 2017/18 season, for example. There’s work to be done on the training ground.
In other news, Hyeongyu Oh admits “very difficult time” at Celtic; explains Brendan Rodgers help.
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