19.06.2018 - After Lionel Messi missed another penalty shot during his Argentina`s World Cup match against Iceland, questions about his penalty taking skills raised once again. So what should good team manager do?
Argentina vs. Corea del Sur Mundial 2010 by Articularnos.com, on Flickr
What Should Soccer Manager Do?
So good team manager should find player who don`t miss often, the one who give you best chance to win the game.
Main question is this. Does Lionel Messi miss penalty kicks too often? The response to this question is easy to make if you have the data.
| Player | PK Goals | PK Misses | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lionel Messi | 79 (6) | 24 (5) | 76.6% (54.5%) |
| Sergio Aguero | 39 (19) | 9 (4) | 81.3% (82.6%) |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 104 (18) | 19 (3) | 84.6% (85.7%) |
| Mario Balotelli | 37 (12) | 5 (2) | 88.1% (85.7%) |
*Values in parenthesis shows last 2 seasons stats.
Source: www.transfermarkt.com
As the data says Argentina manager should make Sergio Aguero the penalty kick taker. His long term percentage is better than Messi`s but duing last 2 seasons Messi is really terrible with his penalty kick conversion rate of only 54.5%. In comparison with Cristiano Ronaldo it is obvious that CR7 would be even better player to take penalty kicks, and even Mario Balotelli would be great choice.
How it works in Soccer Manager Games?
In most games there isno attribute which determines better or worse penalty kick taker. Only better or worse shooting player. Altough on some games there is parameter Calmness for players which determines how cool he is to act in exciting moments like penalty kicks. Would be good idea to pay attention to various player attributes to determine whether it is good idea to try other players or just keep the best shooting man as penalty taker. Good luck!
