What's going on with penalties - is it time to end the 'stutter'?

The article examines the effectiveness of the "stuttering" penalty kick technique, prompted by Kylian Mbappe's missed penalty for France against Morocco in a World Cup quarter-final. Mbappe's tame effort was easily saved after he stuttered in his run-up, leading to questions about whether the technique has become less effective as goalkeepers have adapted. Statistics from the World Cup show that "stutter" penalties have a conversion rate of 57%, compared to 68% for "non-stutter" penalties. The article notes that this World Cup has seen a high rate of missed penalties overall, with 30% of non-shootout penalties missed, the second-highest since 1966. When including shootouts, the miss rate rises to 35%, the highest on record. Former players and pundits suggest that goalkeepers are now bigger, more athletic, and have access to data on penalty-takers' preferences, making it harder to score and leading to the increased use of the stutter to try and gain an advantage.