Sam Johnstone: Current penalty rules are unfair to goalkeepers

West Brom

goalkeeper has saved 25 percent of the penalties he has faced during his career but believes that saving a penalty is now harder than before. From the last season, new rules require keepers to have at least part of one foot on the goal line when saving a penalty. In his team’s last week's match against Manchester United,

saved

’ penalty initially but the save was ruled out and Fernandes managed to score the second time he took the shot. The 27-year old has spoken about penalty rules and their effects on a goalkeeper’s chances to save a spot-kick.

“If you want us to stay on our line, surely they can’t just do what they want when taking the penalty. It has to work both ways,

“Just run up and hit it – you’re still favourite. I think that would probably just stop all the messing about with waiting, if I’m off my line, retaking it and stuff like that. Just run and hit it, the goalie stays on his line and that’s that.

“It’s difficult to keep your foot on the line and you can’t start behind the goal, you have to stand on it and just dive sideways. It’s difficult. It’s just making it easier for the taker to score.

“Take the one at Man United, yes, I came off my line but you need a trigger as a goalkeeper to go and that jump makes you go but you’re too early and off your line.

“It just makes it more difficult for the goalkeepers to save it.”

Johnstone hopes that he will be able to play for England under

Gareth Southgate

.

“Gareth Southgate came out and he said (Jordan) Pickford is his number one. Pickford is a very good goalkeeper, so is (Nick) Pope and Dean Henderson,

“I want to be in the thick of that as well and I want to be pushing them and be on the minds of the England set-up.

“I have been there as a kid and now I am in the Premier League playing and I want to get into that set-up and keep pushing.

“There are a lot of good English goalkeepers around and it is not going to be easy but it is something I want to do and it would be a dream come true.

“Pickford has never let England down so it’s not going to be an easy thing to do but it’s on my mind to try to achieve.”

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