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Liverpool Echo

Sport

Ian Doyle

Liverpool would miss out on two major trophies under 'unfair' new rule change

Liverpool Bruce Grobbelaar Jerzy Dudek Anfield (Organization) Roma (Organization)

Jerzy Dudek and Bruce Grobbelaar would have been forgiven for almost choking on their corn flakes after reading the news this morning.

The two goalkeepers etched their names in the annals of Anfield history with famous penalty shoot-out antics to help Liverpool become crowned champions of Europe.

But under new rules set to be introduced by the officiating bigwigs, such behaviour would be banished with shot-stoppers no longer permitted to do anything that would put off the kick taker.

As described in the IFAB's law changes 2023/24 report, Law 14 'The penalty kick' states: "Clarification that the goalkeeper must not behave in a manner that fails to show respect for the game and the opponent, i.e. by unfairly distracting the kicker."

That the rulemakers would want to clamp down on the behaviour of some goalkeepers - yes, we're looking at you, Emi Martinez - is understandable, particularly given the whole point of a penalty during regular time in a match is to punish teams for foul play.

However, the same laws will also apply in shoot-outs, instantly tipping the balance even further in favour of the kick taker. Attempting to save a penalty is tough enough as it is for a keeper, especially with the taker permitted to pause and shuffle and do all sorts before finally striking the ball.

Penalty shoot-outs are often described as a lottery, but the reality is that isn't the case. Skill and mentality are crucial, along with a little bit of the nous and, yes, some sneaky mind games. Liverpool have been involved in 27 competitive shoot-outs since they were first introduced in the early 1970s - a whopping 11 during the Jurgen Klopp era - and have lost only seven of them. That's a win percentage of almost 75%. Hardly random.

Caoimhin Kelleher and Kostas Tsimikas may contend otherwise, but the two most famous shoot-outs in Liverpool's' history involve Grobbelaar and Dudek.

The former was already a multiple trophy winner when he became a bona fide legend in May 1984 during the European Cup final against Roma in the Italian capital. After a 1-1 draw, Liverpool were 2-1 behind in the shoot-out having missed their opener when Grobbelaar decided a different approach was required.

As Bruno Conti prepared for his penalty, the Liverpool goalkeeper started talking to himself and then began chewing on the netting before taking his place on the goalline. A spooked Conti ballooned his spot kick way too high. Then, with Roma's penultimate kick, Grobbelaar brought out his famous 'spaghetti legs', with an unnerved Francesco Graziani smashing his effort against the bar and over. Alan Kennedy scored with the next penalty and Liverpool were champions.

“Joe Fagan (the Liverpool manager at the time) put his arm around me and quietly had a word,” Grobbelaar told the ECHO back in 2018. “He told me, ‘Look son, you’ve had a great game. I and the coaches and the chairman and the directors, the captain and the team and the 10,000 Liverpool fans are not going to blame you now if you don’t stop the ball from 12 yards.

"It was as I walked away, feeling much better, that he called after me 'But make sure you try to put them off'."

Fast forward 21 years and Liverpool were back in a penalty shoot-out after a remarkable 3-3 draw against AC Milan in the Champions League final in 2005. This time, it was Dudek who became the hero. The Pole was dancing on the line as Serginho missed Milan's first spot kick, was practically stood in front of Andrea Pirlo when saving the second - to be fair, that shouldn't have been allowed even then - and later flummoxed Andriy Shevchenko so much the forward almost apologetically passed the ball straight to the goalkeeper to ensure what remains the most incredible win in Liverpool's history.

"Jamie Carragher came up to me just before the penalties and said 'remember Bruce Grobbelaar and the rubbery legs in 1984'," said Dudek afterwards. "He said 'do the same and put them off'. That's what I did and it seemed to work!"

Did Grobbelaar and Dudek push the boundaries of what goalkeepers should do? Probably. Were they merely trying to level the playing field in a shoot-out? Most definitely.

But with trophies increasingly decided on the drama of penalties, it does seem a little unfair to make the job that bit more difficult for those standing between the sticks.

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