There has been much debate regarding Chelsea’s penalty takers this season. The last three have been taken by Jorginho, Pedro, and Ross Barkley.
Barkley said that there is a sheet in the changing rooms before the match that names the taker, and in Europe against Valenica when he missed, it was his name on the sheet. This was backed up by Frank Lampard.
So did Pedro then have his name on the sheet in the Carabao Cup last week when he scored his penalty? Who knows.
Anyway, normal service was resumed this weekend when the one you’d expect to be stepping up more regularly, scored his penalty against Brighton.
Eden Hazard was of course Chelsea’s unmistakable penalty taker before he left this summer, but former Chelsea player Pat Nevin actually argues that Jorginho takes an even better spot kick than the Belgian.
Speaking in his column on the Chelsea website, Nevin said:
“I waxed lyrical about just how good Jorginho’s penalties are, by far my favourite anywhere in the world at the moment.
“I know we all loved Eden Hazard’s stunningly stylish penalties over the past few seasons, but honestly I think Jorginho’s method is even better than his.
“In open play he has only ever missed one penalty, and he scored on the rebound with that one. His numbers are great, but it is the way that he does that little hop, sends the keeper one way and then calmly rolls it the other way that impresses me.
“It impresses me almost as much as the fact that he doesn’t look at the ball when he kicks it.
“Even Eden has to look at the ball a millisecond before he takes his penalties. Usually by then, the keeper has moved anyway, but Jorginho never looks down.
“It is an amazing ability and one few keepers have ever had to deal with before anywhere else in the world.
“I do hope he can keep taking them for a long time, even if he misses the odd one.
“It will look bad when he does miss, as the keeper will just bend down and pick it up without needing to dive, but everybody eventually misses now and again. Stick by him and we will almost certainly benefit.”
