How to win a World Cup penalty shootout as England aim to avoid further spot kick heartbreak

The World Cup knockout stage raises the dreaded prospect of another penalty shootout for England, with the national team having won only two of their nine shootouts at major tournaments.

Their World Cup duck was memorably broken four years ago against Colombia, but then Southgate’s side lost on spot-kicks in last year’s Euro 2020 final. So, what is likely to happen this time round and which factors will prove the difference?

England were beaten on penalties in the Euro 2020 final against Italy last year at Wembley

Current England boss Gareth Southgate missed the decisive spot kick back in Euro 1996 as the Three Lions exited to Germany on penalties at the semi-final stage of the tournament

DWELL TIME 

Ben Lyttleton studied shootouts for his book Twelve Yards: The Art & Psychology of the Perfect Penalty and found that a rushed spot-kick is far less likely to be successful.

‘It was one of my biggest findings,’ Lyttleton says. ‘The referee blows the whistle to say you can take the kick when you’re ready. It’s not a starting pistol and you must take it straightaway.’

Prior to 2018, England players had often tried to get their penalty ordeal out of the way as quickly as possible, with Jamie Carragher taking his in the shootout against Portugal at Euro 2006 even before the referee had blown his whistle.

England’s penalties at the past two tournaments would suggest Southgate has addressed the problem, although you still find top players elsewhere not heeding the lesson.

‘When Kepa [Arrizabalaga] missed his decisive penalty for Chelsea in last season’s League Cup final against Liverpool, he waited less than one second,’ Lyttleton says.

‘And when France lost to Switzerland at the Euros last summer, Kylian Mbappe took the quickest penalty. He waited less than one second after the referee blow the whistle and it was him that missed.’

England celebrated their first World Cup penalty shootout success against Colombia in 2018

BODY LANGUAGE 

This applies as much to the coaching staff as it does the players. Gareth Southgate and his backroom team present a determined, united front during shootouts, standing arm in arm, avoiding any great show of emotion regardless of the outcome of a penalty.

‘It was very clear at the 2018 World Cup that Southgate and his team tried to stay very controlled, as did the players in the centre circle,’ Lyttleton says. ‘If everyone is going absolutely crazy when a player scores and then has their head in their hands when they miss, it just adds more pressure on to the kicker.’

Similarly, when Jordan Henderson missed a spot-kick against Colombia, his demeanour on returning to the centre circle betrayed little disappointment. Even if he was hurting inside, Lyttleton suspects that the player was trying not to convey it to his team-mates.

‘It was clearly something that had been worked on. The message was: the shootout is not over. The match is not over. We are still in this. The next penalty-taker for Columbia missed and England went on to win.’

Eric Dier netted the decisive penalty during the historic victory over Colombia in Russia

FEAR FACTOR 

In 2006, Portugal played out the quarter-final as if they wanted penalties because they knew the prospect hung so heavily over England. One of Southgate’s finest achievements, however, has been to loosen his players of the burden of past failures.

As Lyttleton points out, Southgate was quick to take responsibility for the shootout defeat against Italy at the Euros. He insisted it was fully his responsibility as he had chosen the penalty-takers, including Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford, both of whom missed.

‘Every coach in the past who has abdicated responsibility for the penalty shootout, and said it’s just about luck, is almost hanging players out to dry,’ Lyttleton says. ‘But Southgate has made himself accountable. He said: I am the one responsible for this.

‘That sends a huge message of support to the players: whatever happens in the shootout, I’ve got your back. It was horrendous what happened after the Euros to the players who missed. But going into this tournament, there will not be a fear of being scapegoated.’

England suffered heartache at the 2006 World Cup as Portugal took advantage of England’s penalty woes