Winning Penalties (aka The Problem at Man U)

Photo by Mario Klassen on Unsplash

Every game has its own rules. They’re there for a reason - so that everyone works to a level playing field. That there’s no unfair advantage. So that there’s no bias in how one team or player is judged relative to another. 

Of course, teams push the boundaries. They’ll operate at the margins of the rules where they can, in order to gain some sort of advantage. I get that. 

But underlying it all, it’s important for everyone to operate on the basis of fairness and the principle of good faith performance. Surely, we all want that. 

Turns out, not everyone does. 

I read an interview recently where a player for Manchester United commented on how his manager, Jose Mourinho, taught the players about “how to be more savvy” at winning penalties. 

For those who don’t know, a penalty in soccer is the chance to take a shot at goal - just you and the goalkeeper. It’s awarded if one of your teammates is fouled in the penalty box (that is, a defined area surrounding the goal). It is, quite literally, a penalty on the defending team for something they did wrong. 

So when opposing teams take advantage of this and try to “win penalties”, that, to me, goes against the spirit of the game. In my mind, teams should play to win, and on the basis of their own strengths and capabilities. It should be based on a proactive, ambitious approach to play as opposed to a cynical, defensive style designed to be, simply, a war of attrition. 

Champions should be champions in style. Of course, there are situations when you have to grind out a result, when your goal is to simply emerge unscathed. But that shouldn’t be your modus operandi. 

So talking about being more savvy at winning penalties is to me, plainly wrong. It’s an approach that reeks of cynicism. It’s what happens when you don’t have confidence in yourself, when you don’t truly believe in who you are. 

(I don’t blame Marcus Rashford, the player who made that comment. He’s actually a true hero in England, known not only for his soccer skills but also for his community and social work. It’s his manager who’s responsible - cynicism is the hallmark of his footballing philosophy.)

The point is play by the rules and play to win. By all means, push the boundaries, but do it in a way that’s positive. 

Because you believe in the game. Because that’s how it should be done. Because that’s how true champions perform, and win.