After missing yet another penalty attempt on Tuesday night, Riyad Mahrez will “take a break” from taking penalties, according to Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.
Following a missed 12-yard attempt in the match against Copenhagen, Mahrez’s attempt against Borussia Dortmund was stopped by Gregor Kobel in the 0-0 draw.
Riyad Mahrez’s last two Champions League matches:
—Misses penalty against Copenhagen with score at 0-0
—Misses penalty against Dortmund with score at 0-0— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 25, 2022
The winger isn’t the only City player to have missed a penalty in the six years since Guardiola took over.
Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, and Gabriel Jesus, all of whom have since left the team, were also unsuccessful with penalties last season alone.
Sergio Aguero, Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne missed penalties during 2020/21, with City’s penalty record now standing at 25 misses from 80 attempted under Guardiola, excluding shoot-outs.
What Did Guardiola Say About Mahrez?
Mahrez’s miss this week, having won the penalty himself, ultimately cost City victory in Dortmund. However, in the end it didn’t matter as a point was still enough to win the group.
“I admire the courage and bravery of the guys who take the penalties,” Guardiola said afterwards.
“I don’t know how many million penalties we’ve missed. We’ve done it in this competition many times,” the City boss added.
“Riyad was exceptional two or three years ago, he shoots the penalty to go 1-1 here [in Dortmund] to help us reach the semi for the first time [in 2021].
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“Lately, he missed. He will reflect. He can take a break now with the penalties.
“He has the mentality to go there and do it. The teams are physically strong and we give advantage to them.
“It happened too many times. It’s many players.”
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