Highlights England have taken a new approach to penalties after their Euro 2020 defeat to Italy.
Sports psychologist Geir Jordet pointed out that each penalty taker was assigned a buddy to meet them.
England beat Switzerland on penalties to reach the Euro 2024 semi-finals.
England have learned lessons from their painful Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy, as evidenced by their superb penalty shootout victory over Switzerland which saw them reach this summer’s semi-finals. The Three Lions were flawless with all five of their spot-kicks, with Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Ivan Toney and Trent Alexander-Arnold all beating Swiss number one Yann Sommer from 12 yards.
While many believe that this comes down to the fact that Gareth Southgate’s team are just the more skilled collective, the pressure of a penalty shootout is something that has made some of the country’s top players crack.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Before Saturday, previous England sides had only won 30% of their shootouts .
However, according to a sports psychologist, some tweaks in how Southgate and co. approached the penalties proved to be all too effective.
Related Every England Player’s Penalty Record Dispelling their penalty curse might be crucial to the Three Lions’ EURO 2024 chances.
England Players Assigned a ‘Buddy’
In footage shared by sports psychologist Geir Jordet on social media, Manchester City defender John Stones can be seen meeting Bukayo Saka after he took his penalty during the shootout. Arsenal’s star winger was able to convert, extending England’s lead but more importantly exercising some of his demons from when he missed against Italy three years ago.
As Jordet explains, it is becoming more and more common to see strategies like this in penalty shootouts, and it is not just England taking the approach:
“A subtle England penalty shootout innovation (since 2021) is their deliberate, structured & functional use of social psychology. Here, Saka is picked up by John Stones after his penalty, to swiftly welcome him back in the team.”
It stands to reason that perhaps this was just designed to be done for Saka, seeing as this very same situation led to one of the worst periods of his professional and personal life. But, in reality, every England penalty taker was met by a buddy during their walk back to the half-way line.
In another tweet shared by the Norwegian, still images of England’s other penalty takers being approached by their teammates following their spot kicks can be seen. Kyle Walker is seen meeting Palmer, Luke Shaw meets Bellingham and Declan Rice steps forward to Toney. The only player who didn’t have this was Trent Alexander-Arnold, although his winning penalty meant that he was rushed by his celebrating teammates anyway.
In doing this, teammates convey a more united front to the penalty takers, as Jordet explains:
“I assume this buddy would also support their assigned penalty taker if he were to fail. This was was painfully lacking in 2021, when Rashford walked 50 m alone after his missed shot, while facing a wall of teammates in an interlocked formation as if communicating US vs YOU.”
Why England Players Didn’t Interlock During Penalties
Jordet suggests that this helps players appear more supportive
In years gone by, it was common for teams to link arms with one another while watching their compatriots step up for their penalty. The interlocking of players is meant to showcase strength and unity. That these players are part of a team no matter what happens. However, as Jordet earlier explained, it can also have the opposite impact, putting more pressure on the taker in a you-against-the-world mentality.
That’s why on Saturday, England players could be seen standing side by side but not with their arms draped around each other, which was done in order to appear more supportive according to the 50-year-old:
“Now, as opposed to most other teams in the world, England, refreshingly, do not interlock their arms in the mid circle. This looser formation enables flexibility to offer each other functional social support, which is more important than appearing to be supportive.
Southgate Bans Substitutes From Penalty Huddle
A less crowded area made it easier for the manager to pick his penalty takers
One thing Gareth Southgate has made sure of during his reign is ensure that the mindset regarding penalty shootouts changes. It has already been reported that the 53-year-old has banned his stars from discussing the possibility of penalties in training, but that is not the only thing he has put a stop to.
Teams will often engage in a pre-shootout huddle where takers will be decided and there will be one final pep talk. More often than not, this will involve the entire squad as seen during France’s quarter-final tie with Portugal. However, Southgate has taken a different approach, according to Jordet:
“In the huddle preceding the last shootout, Southgate gathered only the 11 players eligible for penalties (and key staff) – keeping everyone else (including substitutes) out. Fewer people gave Southgate a better overview to effectively assign both penalty takers & buddies.”
These subtle changes seem to have reaped massive rewards. With these, the Three Lions will be walking into shootouts with roaring confidence, rather than with a whimper and doubt.
Why Every England Penalty Taker Has a Teammate Meet Them Afterwards
