Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has hinted at a change in penalty-taking duties following Luis Palma’s twin failures from the spot in their narrow 1-0 victory over Ross County.
Despite securing the win, the spotlight fell on Palma’s missed opportunities, which could have widened the gap in what turned out to be a tense match.
The game saw Celtic take an early lead with Alistair Johnston’s goal, but the focus soon shifted to the penalty spot. Callum McGregor was brought down, presenting Palma with a golden chance to double Celtic’s lead. However, Ross County’s goalkeeper, George Wickens, made a save, denying Palma’s initial effort. A retake was ordered due to encroachment, but incredibly, Wickens repeated his heroics, diving to his right to thwart Palma for a second time.
Rodgers, visibly discontent with the outcome of the penalties, expressed his concerns post-match. “He’s missed a few now so we’ll have to look at that,” [Football Scotland] Rodgers stated, signaling a potential shift in penalty-taking responsibilities.
He continued: “I’m all for giving players opportunity and confidence if you make mistakes, but there’s no doubt we’ll have to look at that,”
If Rodgers does indeed look at changing penalty takers, there isn’t an obvious candidate. Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate have both taken them before, but haven’t been convincing either. It’s certainly going to be interesting to see who takes Celtic’s next penalty.
I think when we are gave a penalty we should just say let’s play on, there’s no point taking it. How can professional footballers miss so many penalties?