Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has voiced his astonishment over the fact that his side have yet to be awarded a penalty in the Premier League this season.
The Reds have played 24 matches in the current top-flight campaign but are one of just two teams who have yet to be given the opportunity to net from 12 yards out, Bournemouth being the other (Transfermarkt).
Speaking in Friday morning’s pre-match press conference ahead of the clash against Manchester United this weekend, the German said of his team’s lack of penalties in 2022/23 (via Liverpool ECHO): “We still had second most possession, second most shots on goal.
“Stats wise, we are there. We are often in opposition box. I have no clue how that can happen but it happened.”
Klopp might be slightly inaccurate with his statistics – Liverpool actually rank third in the Premier League for possession (57%) and shots taken (391), trailing only Manchester City and Arsenal in both metrics – but his point is certainly a valid one.
For all the time the Reds spend in the opposition’s third of the pitch, it seems astonishing that they haven’t had a single top-flight penalty all season, especially when they were awarded eight last term – the joint-third most of any team in the division (FotMob).
The Anfield faithful shouldn’t be massively confident of getting one on Sunday, either. Andy Madley, who will be in charge of the Manchester United game, has only pointed to the spot three times in the 23 matches he has refereed in the current campaign (Transfermarkt).
Also, he hasn’t given us a single spot-kick in the nine previous Liverpool matches when he’s been the man in the middle, despite the irony of two of those games ultimately being settled by a penalty shoot-out (Transfermarkt).
Don’t hold your breath for a player in red getting the chance to net from 12 yards out on Sunday, then!