Fleetwood Town v Arsenal - Carabao Cup Fourth Round

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It's not working anymore! – Arsenal star Bruno Guimaraes vows to overhaul penalty technique after costly Carabao Cup miss

Arsenal midfielder Bruno Guimaraes has conceded that his trademark penalty technique is no longer fit for purpose following a string of high-profile misses. The Brazilian international faced significant scrutiny after his failure from the spot led to a shock Carabao Cup exit at the hands of League Two outfit Fleetwood Town.

Time to change for the Brazil international

The spotlight has intensified on Guimaraes in recent weeks as his once-reliable method of converting from twelve yards appears to have been decoded by opposition goalkeepers. The former Newcastle man has built a reputation on a distinctive stutter-step approach, designed to wait for the keeper to commit before slotting the ball into the opposite corner.

The most damaging of these failures came during Arsenal’s recent Carabao Cup clash against Fleetwood Town. In a result that sent shockwaves through the competition, the Gunners were eliminated by the League Two side in a penalty shootout, with Guimaraes failing to convert his crucial effort. The miss highlighted a worrying trend that began during the World Cup, where the Brazilian's confidence from the spot first began to waver under the intense pressure of the international stage.

Speaking about the technical decline of his spot-kicks, Guimaraes was remarkably candid about the need for a fresh start. 'Look, I think I've been taking my penalties in a certain way. I tried it during the World Cup, and I tried it here, too. It's clear to me now that it's not working anymore,' he confessed during an interview with ESPN Brasil.

Accountability in the face of criticism

Despite the frustration felt by the Emirates faithful following the cup exit, Guimaraes remains adamant that this tactical setback will not define his career in North London. His recent struggles from the spot - missing three of his last four penalties for both club and country - have highlighted a concerning trend, but he has emphasized that recognizing a flaw is the first step toward rectifying it.

'I'm humble enough to acknowledge that I need to improve and that I have to change the way I take them. But one thing is certain: this doesn't change who I am as a player or as a person. As I said, I'm humble enough to admit that my recent penalty kicks haven't been good. My record before the World Cup was very strong, but lately, I haven't been able to deliver at that same level. It's something I need to work on, I have to train differently,' the midfielder explained as he looked to put the Fleetwood disaster behind him.

The road to spot-kick redemption

The Brazilian is not simply waiting for his luck to turn; he has already implemented a rigorous training schedule to rebuild his confidence. Guimaraes revealed that he is now dedicating specific time at the end of every Arsenal training session to hone a new technique - a focus that comes at a crucial time as Arsenal prepare to face Liverpool on Sunday, knowing a victory would send them clear at the top of the Premier League following Manchester City’s defeat to Brighton on Saturday.

'Life doesn't stop, and the challenges keep coming. We have another match this Sunday, and if I let this get to me, I'll only spiral downward. Or should I turn things around instead? I need to mature through my mistakes and learn from them. I've already decided that I shouldn't continue taking them the way I was. I think the most important thing is not to be afraid of what might happen, it's about putting in the work during training so that when the moment arrives, I'm ready,' he added.

Learning from the world’s greatest

Guimaraes also pointed out that even the most legendary figures in the sport are not immune to the pressures of the penalty spot. By citing examples from the recent World Cup, the Arsenal midfielder - who joined from Newcastle in the summer and has scored two goals in 12 appearances across all competitions this season - put his own struggles into perspective.

'Every single day now, I take at least three or four penalty kicks, I want to be prepared in case it happens again. I can't let my teammates down, and I can't let our people down. We know it can happen, we saw it at the World Cup, with Messi missing a penalty, Mbappé missing one, and plenty of others missing as well. It's obviously a situation we'd rather avoid, but I'm humble enough to recognize when something isn't going right. What I need to do is work even harder so that when the next opportunity comes along, I can step up and not let it go to waste,' he concluded.

My journey in journalism began in 2013 across various departments until I specialised in sports journalism in 2015 when I found my greatest passion there, focusing on covering major European leagues.

Over the past years, I have combined covering major football tournaments with tennis, a game I love dearly and find in it the peace and elegance I wish to see in all sports.

My passion for football started with the 1998 World Cup, which I consider the best of all time, with the great stars who participated and the historic matches played across France.

I became attached to tennis starting in 2005, specifically since watching my first tournament on the clay courts at Roland Garros, which holds a special place in my heart. With the overwhelming popularity of football worldwide, my goal has become to elevate the popularity of tennis to a similar level, especially since it already has a significant following in the Arab world. As for my favourite player, it is the Swiss Roger Federer.

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Time to change for the Brazil international

Accountability in the face of criticism

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The road to spot-kick redemption

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