Manchester United center-back Harry Maguire has expressed his desire to see a change in the “threshold of giving penalties”, claiming it has become almost impossible to defend without giving away a spot kick. He has urged the Premier League to take a stand and lead the reform to reduce the frequency of “soft” penalties.
Manchester United’s Maguire Thinks Referees Are Being Too Generous With Penalties
Since the dawn of time, penalties have been a controversial topic. The team that concedes it almost always call it a soft one, while the ones that benefit from it consistently defend its merit. Since the introduction of VAR, the subject has become touchier, as referees have generally been awarding spot-kicks even in the case of unintentional handballs and minimal contact inside the box.
Manchester United defender Maguire believes penalties are being given away too liberally, and wants to see a change in the threshold for what they are given for.
Maguire has told The Telegraph:
“For me, penalties in the last six months, a year or so, especially in the Premier League, all over the world really, the Champions League, they are given for anything. They are so soft.
”They are making life so hard for defenders to defend the way it should be. You should be able to defend, you should be able to move your arm, you should be able to move your body, you should be able to make contact, you should be able to move your hands and get there.”
The England international also asked the Premier League to lead the reform.
“Nowadays, penalties are given for everything. Absolutely everything. It’s such an important part of the game, what should be a penalty, what shouldn’t be a penalty but there are far too many soft penalties given.
“I think the threshold of giving penalties definitely needs to change. And I think the Premier League, the biggest league in the world, needs to start it, need to come up with something because I’ve seen some penalties in the Premier League since the start of this season which, for me, are just ridiculous.”
Arsenal Have Received The Most Penalties This Season
While Manchester United’s former skipper is bemoaning the frequency of spot-kicks, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are unlikely to voice the same concerns. The Gunners have benefitted the most from allegedly “soft” penalties this season, having received as many as six spot-kicks in only 12 Premier League matches. Impressively, they have put away all six of those penalties.
Manchester United, meanwhile, have only been awarded one penalty by the Premier League officials thus far.
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