Celtic right-back Josip Juranovic has revealed he has free rein over penalties at the club after scoring again from the spot in the 7-0 win over St Johnstone.
Juranovic netted the fourth of his side’s strikes at the weekend, with him now having found the back net five times in a row from 12 yards. Speaking after his latest goal, he revealed he has the final decision on whether to take penalties or instead pass them over to a teammate, whatever the reason may be.
As per the Daily Record, he said: “I have scored five penalties out of five so I have to be happy with that. I practice in training all the time and it is paying off right now. It is going well and I want to keep it that way.
“I don’t really have a technique or mindset, it is all about practice being perfect for me. I know some of the other players might want to take them but they know for now I am first-choice.
“If someone, like Giorgos [Giakoumakis] or Kyogo [Furuhashi] had two goals and was going for a hat-trick, I might step aside and let them take the penalty. But that’s up to me if I want to let them do it or I take it myself – it depends on the circumstances.”
TIF Thoughts on Juranovic and Celtic penalties…
£3.6m-valued Juranovic clearly is the most reliable penalty taker at the club. He has a 100% record this term and while Nir Bitton, David Turnbull, Callum McGregor and Giorgos Giakoumakis have all stepped up at different points of the campaign, only Turnbull can match Juranovic’s ratio – and even then, the Scotland international has only taken one penalty himself, so hardly often enough to make an educated statement on his spot-kick ability.
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In recent seasons, Ryan Christie, Scott Sinclair and Odsonne Edouard have been given the responsibility, with varying degrees of success. None, though, have looked as composed as Juranovic, which is why he has earned his spot as the number-one penalty taker.
Penalties are an important part of the game. Although no guarantee of a goal, they offer the best chance to find the back of the net, meaning a specialist in such situations can prove to be crucial. Ange Postecoglou will be hoping Juranovic can continue to make it look so easy if called upon again.