The Football Association’s determination to take the pressure off England at Euro 2024 has led to the secrecy surrounding their team’s penalty-taking approach, highlighted by players being banned from answering questions about their team’s penalty-taking process.
It is understood there is dissatisfaction within the FA over former staff revealing the details of the psychological work undertaken to change England’s painful relationship with penalties. Officials were reluctant to let any insight leak out ahead of Saturday’s quarter-final penalty shootout against Switzerland amid pointed remarks from Southgate, who has largely pushed for the change.
Countless hours have been invested in ensuring that a subject that was once considered a lottery is considered a science. The FA’s former head of match insights Chris Markham talks about England in an interview for a book about penalties by Norwegian professor of sport and psychology Geir Jordet strategy.
Southgate was tight-lipped about England’s progress ahead of their last-16 clash with Slovakia. “Everyone who has ever worked at the FA seems to have been doing this for many years,” the manager said. “We remain as advised as ever and are fully prepared.”
Jordan Pickford impressed against Switzerland, joined by Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Ivan Toney and Trent Alexander – Alexander-Arnold’s superb finish provided the latest proof of Southgate’s methodical work. The FA’s research found that England players previously rushed penalties and examined where the taker should stand while waiting for the kick and where the shot should be placed.
Randomness has been taken away. Before Southgate was appointed in 2016, England had lost on penalties in 1990, 1996, 1998, 2004, 2006 and 2012. Southgate missed a vital penalty in the semi-final against Germany.
As the head coach, he tried to use various psychological strategies to make up for England’s psychological weakness beyond 12 yards. However, during the Euros, when reporters asked players about their mechanisms, the FA’s press officer stepped in.
Questions to Mark Gay and Ezri Konsa were blocked and a member of the FA media team intervened when Pickford was asked about his penalty strategy on Saturday night. Kerford made the decisive save on Switzerland’s Manuel Akanji. Pickford wrote on the bottle next to the goal the Swiss team’s habit of taking penalties. He used a delaying tactic before diving to his left to save Akanji’s shot.
It was also reported that Swiss coach Murat Yakin addressed the team before the penalty shootout. Southgate only addressed those players who were still on the pitch at the end of extra-time. It has been suggested that England adopt a ‘buddy process’, whereby a player is assigned a catcher to support them and congratulate them after a kick. A warm celebration is held after every successful shoot to add to the positive vibe.
In Jodet’s book Pressure: Lessons from the Psychology of Penalty Shootouts, Markham talks about how he was helped by Southgate after he first received counseling in 2017.
“From a psychological perspective, talking about lottery takes away ownership from players,” he said. “That’s what I want to give back to them. Not just control of the kick itself, but control of the entire process. Initially it was about perceived control. How do we improve the level of perceived control for players, staff and everyone? Talking about the number of runs , angles, pace, you know everything from breathing techniques, best aiming areas, goalkeeping, sighting masks and goggles.
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England have previously consulted pioneering London School of Economics professor Ignacio Palacios-Huerta on the issue of penalties, with detailed insights contained in a new book on Southgate’s reign, Dear England . Authors Rob Draper and Jonathan Northcroft focus on the 2018 World Cup last-16 win over Colombia, noting Jordan Henderson There was no lack of performance after the penalty was saved by David Ospina.
Southgate’s approach doesn’t always work. He was criticized after England lost the Euro 2020 final on penalties to Italy. Sancho and Rashford were called upon to take penalties before the end of overtime, but both forwards looked indifferent and failed to convert the ball into a goal.
Italy won when Saka’s shot was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma. “We’ve been punished for losing a game and that will always happen because it’s results-based,” Southgate said on Saturday. “We’ve improved the process a little bit.”
It seems that lessons were learned on board. Unlike Rashford and Sancho, Toni and Alexander-Arnold had plenty of time to warm up after coming on in extra time against Switzerland.
