Revealed: The players Southgate will pick if England face a World Cup penalty shootout
Penalty shootout: the two words that every football fan in England fears.
But Gareth Southgate has tried to tackle England’s penalty woes head on since taking over in late 2016.
He was the unfortunate player to miss the decisive penalty against Germany in the Euro 1996 semi-finals and is desperate for his squad to be more prepared and not suffer the same fate.
England’s record in penalty shootouts is well-documented – six losses from seven – and they have been involved in psychological tests prior to the tournament to determine who should step up if one of the knockout games goes to penalties.
READ MORE: Ronaldo refuses to clarify future after World Cup exit
After nine successful spot-kicks, Gareth Southgate delivers unlucky number ten at Euro 96
And that means, according to The Mirror, that Southgate already knows his ideal five penalty-takers.
READ MORE: Harry Kane: Leading England is easy
READ MORE: ‘Kane is a normal bloke…like one of us’
READ MORE: Boost for Colombia as James injury isn’t as bad as first feared
Skipper Harry Kane would lead from the front, taking the first penalty. Next is perhaps the most surprising choice, with Kieran Trippier, one of England’s best players so far, pencilled in for the second penalty.
Vice-captain Jordan Henderson is third on the list, followed by Leicester marksman Jamie Vardy. Dele Alli has reportedly told Southgate that he wants to take a penalty and the boss wants him as the fifth taker – a massive responsibility.
Whether or not they are all on the pitch if it gets to this scenario remains to be seen, but teams can make a fourth substitution in extra-time during the World Cup.
That means if, say, Vardy had not been introduced to the action in normal time, Southgate could throw him on with penalties in mind as the clock ticks down.
And with the research conducted by the FA showing that the first and fourth penalties are most crucial, it would not be a surprise to see Southgate do just that.
If England do go out on penalties, Southgate cannot be accused of burying his head in the sand and ignoring the problem like previous managers have.
The Three Lions are prepared for a penalty shootout, now they just need to keep their nerve.
