How England are preparing for possible penalty shoot-out with Germany
By Tom Gott
England stars Phil Foden and John Stones have revealed that Gareth Southgate has been working overtime with the team to prepare them for a penalty shoot-out against Germany in the last 16 of Euro 2020.
The Three Lions don't exactly have the best record when it comes to penalties, having lost both of their shoot-outs against Germany in the past. The last meeting came back at Euro 96, when Southgate himself missed the decisive shot.
The build-up to Tuesday's game has featured a lot of talk about penalties, but England's stars have confessed that they have been putting in a lot of extra work to prepare themselves if it comes down to a shoot-out.
Firstly, Foden told BBC Sport: "He's [Southgate] not going to bring that up is he? To be honest I remember him actually saying when he went up to take it the keeper kicked the ball away and he didn't really practise that routine in his head.
"So I've been practising walking from the half-way line to take the penalties so when it comes to the game it feels comfortable for you.
Absolute heartbreak for England ?
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) May 28, 2020
Andreas Moller dispatches his penalty to send Germany through to the final of Euro 96. A defining moment for an inconsolable Gareth Southgate but he'll bounce back that's for sure ????????#Euro96Relived pic.twitter.com/fLUUpYGpMn
"People say it's luck but I don't believe in that. If you practice your penalty and know where you're putting it before you can get an advantage going into it."
Stones also confirmed in an interview with The Telegraph that England have done extra preparation for penalties, so everyone will know what is expected of them in any given scenario.
“Everything will be done before so it’s not like a mad scramble and we look like we’re unprepared,” Stones said. “We want to be going into it knowing that we’ve ticked every box. Knowing that when a certain situation comes, no one is panicking, saying, ‘Oh, do you want to go third?’
“Choose your spot. We’ve been practising on keeping that clear focus: what to do if your turn comes.
“The winning mentality and the willingness to win is now coming out. I haven’t seen as much in previous squads before 2018. There’s a real hunger there which is so natural to everyone. When we come up against Germany, it’s a time to really test ourselves and show the world what a good team we are.”