Following Chelsea's 1-0 UEFA Champions League defeat to Valencia on Tuesday, Ross Barkley said there was no question about him taking the penalty. However, Willian claimed that he "wanted to take it."
After going 1-0 behind at Stamford Bridge in the Group C clash to Rodrigo's 74th-minute strike, Barkley had the perfect chance to salvage a point from the spot in the dying minutes after Daniel Wass handled the ball in the penalty area.
Before Barkley's move ricocheted into the crowd via the top crossbar, Barkley was consulted by Jorginho, Tammy Abraham, and Willian:
Actually feel for Ross Barkley after that pen miss last night - all he did was follow instructions.
If he's not on the pitch next time Chelsea get a spot kick, Jorginho will score, and this whole debate crops up again — Dean Jones (@DeanJonesBR) September 18, 2019
Many were left confused, but Barkley clarified that his teammates encouraged him to make the move instead of trying to take the spot-kick off him. According to the Evening Standard's James Olley, the Englishman is the designated penalty taker.
However, Willian said something in contrast to Barkley's statement, claiming that he wanted to take the penalty to try to tie up the match, but the Metro says he did not blame Barkley for the miss.
"I wanted to take it, but he was confident to take it," Willian said. "This is football. He missed the penalty, but it could be me that missed, or Jorginho, or whoever. So football is like this. But when we win, we win together, and when we lose, we lose together."
After the match, one of the main talking points was who should have taken the penalty, with Chelsea boss Frank Lampard defending his player by insisting that Barkley is the club's main penalty taker.
To be fair to Barkley, he at least showed a determination to change the game on Tuesday even if it turned out horribly for Chelsea. It's understood that Lampard needs that kind of attitude from the young footballer.
Barkley showed that he has the initiative when it comes to making things happen and not just rely on others to do something.
Chelsea's home defeat is definitely a huge blow, but it remains to be seen whether or not Lampard changes his penalty order, but Barkley will not shy away if he is given another chance.
