Mohamed SALAH: 2021/22

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I finally understand those charts. It’s saying Mo is Batman, right?

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So does that make Mane or Bobby Robin?

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https://twitter.com/LordThundyr/status/1491068392417021964?t=6DqWpcJGG85MufCN0OwqNA&s=09

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I know it probably wouldn’t have made a difference, but in my opinion there is much much more pressure on your shoulders if your teammates before you have missed one. Because your penalty could effectively be the decider.

I feel you put your best penalty takers first. No ifs or buts. Staying in the lead in the penalty shootout is paramount.

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So the later you take the penalty the more pressure you’re facing?

No. The further you are behind, the more pressure is on your shoulders. Putting on your best takers first and taking your chances not only makes it easier for your following teammates, but also adds pressure to the other team.

I’m not saying any penalty is easy, but at least put your team in the best position!

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I’m with the best takers first personally, and going first. Knock em in and watch the other team sweat. There is an argument that the best takers go last as it might be the decider but I do remember quite a few games where they miss or don’t even get to take; Baggio, Shevchenko etc

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Equally, being the last player to take a penalty that cant afford to miss is a high pressure situation too.

I think there is no right answer here.

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This is probably a case of looking too far ahead instead of taking care of things immediately.

Like you say, there really is not right answer.

Best taker as 3rd (or 4th) is probably the best.

But the 'superstars‘ want to take the 5th because it often is the one that wins you the game and the one people remember. Just an ego thing.

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For me, it is all about how each player handles pressure.

Someone like Alonso or Gerrard I would have no issue with them being 5th as you know that that sort of pressure would not faze them. Someone like Heskey though, I would not want him going last even though his seems a nice guy and is a pretty good penalty taker I just never thought of him as being so cool under pressure that you would have him going 5th.

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I get and respect the philosophy, but the criticism of what Egypt did, and of it being driven by Mo’s ego, is juts a bunch of dumb counterfactuals. it ignores that they simply took worse penalties and it ignores that under the alternative the players who missed, and maybe even some of those who scored, would have been under even more pressure to score later on in the shoot out.

I guarantee you had Mo gone first and Egypt lost on the last kick he’d be slated for “hiding from the pressure of the final kick.”

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It’s only possible to win the shootout after 3 penalties have been taken by either side, so put your best takers in the top 3 in whatever order they feel most comfortable.

That would be my very simple take on it.

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If he’s copping criticism for that, then that’s bullshit. No way was he hiding. If anything, I think they wanted to keep consistent with what had worked for them through the whole tournament and trust the takers that had performed previously. Don’t break a good thing and all that.

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The criticism is he put his ego ahead of the team’s needs by waiting to go last. He can only take one pen. Whereever in the sequence he goes, others still have to step and score and if they don’t it doesn’t matter where Mo is in that sequence

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Reminds me of the time Roberto Baggio almost single handedly took Italy to a World Cup final, missed a pen and was scapegoated when they lost that match.

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I haven’t read the entire thread but has anyone actually confirmed it was Mo’s choice to go 5th? Doesn’t the manager dictate the order in which his players take pens?

Or are we saying Mo has an ego regarding something he may not have actually said?

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Let’s hope he comes back really really PISSED OFF and take sit out on all teams infront of him

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Mo looked hungry last night, but he also looked a bit tired. I think rather than the limbs, it was his desire that was carrying him. Hope he doesn’t play 90 mins against Burnley. We have adequate cover and I think Klopp will manage his minutes for reminder of the season.

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