L'Inghilterra, tra tutti i paesi, si sta avvicinando alla perfezione dei calci di rigore.
The English football team is in the Euro semifinals - this was achieved in part due to a decisive penalty shootout against Switzerland. This wasn't just luck, explains an expert. Under manager Gareth Southgate, intensive work has been put into the special discipline of penalty shootouts.
The English and penalty shootouts, that was once a bitter story. The jittery nerves of the Three Lions became a legend. But one man wouldn't accept that, also due to his own experience. Manager Gareth Southgate took up the challenge. For eight years, since he took over the national team, he has worked meticulously on taking the luck out of penalty shootouts. Geir Jordet, a sports psychologist and penalty expert, told the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung", that the English "stanno lentamente avvicinandosi a un tiro di rigore perfetto, tutto grazie a Southgate."
In 1996, during the home Euros, the central defender, who was then under contract at Aston Villa, missed as the sixth and only shooter for his team. His shot into the bottom left corner was saved by DFB goalkeeper Andreas Kopke. Because Andreas Möller then hit the ball decisively under the bar, England, with its tragic heroes, failed to reach the semifinals and cleared the way for Germany's Euro title. But that wasn't the only penalty shootout that was linked to Southgate in a bitter way.
In the last Euros, in 2021, Southgate substituted two players in the final against Italy in the 120th minute, who both failed. Marcus Rashford hit the post. Donnarumma saved Jadon Sancho's shot. Saka, who had been playing since the 70th minute, also failed. The tragic heroes had to endure severe racism afterwards. Saka took it to heart. Against Switzerland, in the quarterfinals (5:3, 1:1), he took the third shot and scored confidently. He was greatly relieved, as he generously showed. His four teammates were also successful. Pickford, the goalkeeper, parried a shot from Akanji, thanks to his bottle trick, which brought England into the semifinals.
"Io sono impressionato da lui (Note: d. Red.: Bukayo Saka). Egli non ha solo sbagliato il tiro decisivo allora, le conseguenze per lui furono devastanti," said Jordet. Saka has "da allora lavorato intensamente sulla sua routine di tiro di rigore." Jordet knows "poco chi ha routine cosiddette 'automatizzate' come sue, che si lascia tanto tempo prima del suo tiro." Southgate, so reports Jordet, "ha fondato una Task-Force per i tiri di rigore" and "ha cercato un approccio scientifico." "Ho parlato con Chris Markham allora, egli guidava questa Task-Force," explained Jordet, "e ho detto che tutto dipende dal controllo." Under Southgate, the English won three out of four penalty shootouts at the previous tournaments, including the Nations League.
England aims to excel in the European Football Championship 2024, leveraging their improved penalty shootout skills, a result of Gareth Southgate's focused efforts. The English team's resilience in penalties, once a source of heartbreak, has transformed into a strength, making England a contender in European soccer.
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