Wednesday 23 September 2015 12:40, UK
For most players, having a direct hand in three goals in a game would be considered an outstanding performance, though the remarkable standards set by Lionel Messi mean that yet another penalty miss in the same outing was the headline from a routine 4-1 win over Levante at the weekend.
'Human after all' was the reaction of many, if not that of Barcelona coach Luis Enrique, who stated: "The fact that he missed a penalty does not make Messi any more human. Messi still scored twice and set up another goal. He does not really seem human to me."
Nevertheless the way in which he blazed over from 12 yards at the weekend has led many to suggest spot kicks have now become a rare blemish to an otherwise faultless attacking repertoire. WhoScored.com look into the Argentine's penalty stats in recent years to see whether Messi should be relinquishing his duties from the spot.
When looking into Messi's figures from the beginning of the 2009/10 season in both La Liga and the Champions League, a total of 35 goals from 43 attempts is not necessarily to be scoffed at but his recent woes from the spot have been noteworthy, not least the effort against Levante last time out.
Despite having dispatched a penalty high in the centre of the goal just 13 minutes earlier, when Messi attempted to recreate that feat he saw his effort sail harmlessly over the bar, meaning that he had failed to convert 6 of his last 12 penalties in all competitions.
Of course, when a penalty misses the target altogether there can be no one at fault but the taker. Plenty of decent penalties have drawn saves from the keeper in the past, while conversely plenty of poor efforts have appeared well-taken merely because the goalkeeper has dived the wrong way. A penalty is a lottery in football, and unless you miss the target there is always a chance you will win it.
That said there is now plenty of research into where set piece specialists take their penalties, meaning that players must be comfortable to mix things up from the spot - arguably making penalty taking nowadays that bit more difficult than it once was.
That seems to be what Messi was doing at the weekend given that prior to the game none of the 33 penalties he had scored in the league or Champions League since 2009/10 had been directed high to the middle of the goal, and it's something that seems to have disturbed his flow from the spot.
The Barca forward instead tends to aim to the keepers' left, as he is more natural for a left-footed player. He's scored 18 times when shooting in that direction but also seen 4 saved. It may be that he realised the opposing goalkeepers had noticed a trend and in this instance seeing an effort saved rather than missing the target will often spark more doubt in a players mind.
Indeed, those saves seem to have caused some uncertainty in his approach, leading him to aim to the keeper's right in the season opener with Athletic only to see Gorka Iraizoz make the stop. Perhaps understandably opting for power rather than precision since, that approach backfired against Levante - at least from his second spot kick - and such decisions perhaps do show that there is doubt creeping into the mind of Messi.
In truth the fact that his conversion rate from penalties is relatively modest shouldn't come as the huge shock that it seems to be. Some of the finest penalty takers over the years certainly weren't the finest players, or came anywhere close to the meteoric heights Messi so often scales. As mentioned, penalties are no foregone conclusion. Those that discount them as some sort of unworthy goal don't treat tap-ins in the same manner, despite being far easier to score after all.
Moreover, Messi's conversion rate from penalties in general is far from calamitous. Across Europe's top 5 leagues since the 2009/10 season he ranks 12th of the 24 players to have attempted at least 15 spot kicks in that time. The fact that it's seen as so controversial that Messi isn't at the top of any leaderboard is testament to his talents but as far as penalties are concerned he's undoubtedly no great.
The opportunity to put the debate as to whether Messi should remain on spot kick duties perhaps could have been put to bed at the weekend. As it is though, his miss late on in the match saw his earlier conversion all but overlooked.
One thing for certain is that Messi won't shirk the opportunity to score a penalty anytime soon, and nor will anyone wrestle the ball from his clutches. It would no doubt be used as an argument against his character if he did.
As long as it doesn't effect his performances elsewhere Barcelona fans will excuse Messi for missing the odd spot kick, and so should the public at large. As mentioned, Messi scored twice and picked up an assist against Levante on Sunday, as well as completing 8 dribbles for a man of the match rating of 10 from WhoScored.com. Regardless of the fact that he secures such figures so often, that undoubtedly outweighs an ultimately meaningless penalty miss.
All statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com, where you can find yet more stats, including live in-game data and unique player and team ratings. You can follow all the scores, statistics, live player and team ratings with the free-to-download WhoScored iOS app.
