Diving into the Numbers, and Yes, Your Team is Involved: Penalties Over the Last Three Seasons

Situations involving penalty kicks are often similar to situations involving one night stands. One of the parties is usually thrilled whilst the other is full of self loathing and regret, shocked that something like that could happen to them. The analogy could go on but would risk entering into PG-13 territory.

Some very interesting statistics about rigore are broken down below, with one team quite clearly getting the lion’s share of the portion. Or, more fittingly, that should perhaps’ be wolf’s share.

(Note: the following refers to penalties awarded in favor of the team, not against that team. For example, as typed below, Genoa have been awarded 21 penalties, not had 21 penalties awarded to other teams against them.)

Over the past 3 years, the following teams have received the most penalties:

1. Roma- 29
2. AC Milan- 28
3. Udinese- 25
4. Genoa- 21
5. Sampdoria and Catana- 18 each

Roma and Milan are practically neck-and-neck at the top, averaging almost ten penalties awarded a season each. Interestingly enough, Roma also lead…

Over the past year, the following teams have received the most penalties:

1. Roma- 11
2. Napoli- 9
3. Bari/Sampdoria- 7 each

So yes, Roma do get a lot of penalties. So do Milan and Udinese. It’s hardly worth reading more into those than is here: suggestions could run rampant about match fixing, but Roma were one of the poorer clubs in terms of having money to spend over the past few seasons. Someone has to lead the league in terms of penalties, and it just happens to be Roma/Milan. More interestingly, Sampdoria and Bari are having terrible seasons despite being given seven penalties. At some point, one would assume that having the third most penalty calls in your favor in Serie A would give you a decent amount of points, but in their cases, not so.

The fewest penalty calls? Lazio, Cagliari, Chievo, and Palermo have all been awarded only 2.

The best penalty kick scorers over the past three years: Francesco Totti (16), Toto Di Natale (14) and Deigo Milito (11).

All of whom makes sense. Totti should be top scorer, given his remarkable ability to score goals as well as the fact that Roma receive the most penalties. Di Natale and Milito are often the designated takers on their teams as well (Udinese, Genoa/Inter) and all are fantastic goalscorers. Finally, Udinese have received almost as many penalties over the last three years as Roma (25 vs 29) so Di Natale’s slightly lower spot on the list than Totti also seems fitting.

Finally, the best penalty kick takers this year: Totti, who has converted 6 out of 7 attempts; Di Natale and Edinson Cavani, each of whom has made 5 out of 6.

Interesting to see that Cavani is in Milito’s place, but hardly surprising when other data is taken into account. Milito has been injured much of the year for Inter and has Samuel Eto’ with whom to share spot-kick duties. Cavani on the other hand is Napoli’s talisman- the same Napoli that have received the second-highest number of rigore this season.

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So over the past three seasons, the following teams have all contributed substantially to rigore:

Roma, Milan, Udinese, Napoli, Inter, Bari, and Sampdoria.

7 teams, all with widely different positions on the table. 5 of them are top 6 teams, to be sure, but the others are relegation candidates. Most interestingly, its the top teams’ tifosi that often argue with each other about who receives the most penalties: fact is, all receive quite a few.

If anything, this seems rather fitting evidence that rigore are not just given to the best teams in the league, nor is there any match-fixing going on based solely on these numbers.

If that were the case, the referees are doing an awful job of trying to keep poor Bari up.

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Category: Players, Serie A