Dietmar Hamann only spent two seasons under Rafa Benitez during his time at Anfield but one particular piece of advice stayed with the German.
Speaking on ‘That Peter Crouch Podcast’ about taking his penalty in Istanbul, the 50-year-old said: “I did remember because Rafa he was a penalty pervert, wasn’t he.
“He knew everything about penalties, it was his passion and I remember him saying that there’s a stat that, I think, there’s a 90 or 91% better chance [of scoring] if you hit it above hip height.
“So it doesn’t really matter where you hit it, whether you hit the corner or whether you hit it in the middle, if you hit it at a certain height – it’s got a far better chance [of going in].”
Although the phrase ‘penalty pervert’ may not be too well received by the Spaniard, it does show the level of detail that went into every aspect of trying to make Liverpool more successful.
Seeing as the former Bayern Munich man dispatched the opening spot-kick and we went on to win the 2005 Champions League during that shoot-out, it’s safe to say that this studying paid off to great effect.
You can watch Hamman’s comments on Benitez (from 20:40) via That Peter Crouch Podcast on YouTube:
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