GARETH SOUTHGATE ISSUES UNPRECEDENTED BAN ON ENGLAND STARS IN BID TO WIN EURO 2024

England players have been banned from talking about penalties to keep their shootout secrets safe in the Euros.

Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate has used every trick in the book to improve England’s record in penalty shootouts. They won their quarter-final with Switzerland on penalties with all five takers firing home while goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made the all-important save from Manuel Akanji.

Southgate has used several strategies to improve England’s record at penalties, including a psychologist, analysts and intense practice sessions. But in this tournament, players have also been blocked from talking about shootouts in a clear attempt to stop it from becoming too much of an obsession.

England stars Jordan Pickford, Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa have all been stopped from answering questions on penalties during this tournament.‌

Southgate has also made a pointed remark about former staff talking about penalty techniques after one analyst divulged some state secrets in a new book. Chris Markham, who is now sporting director at Bolton Wanderers, had four years at the Football Association as Game Insights Lead.‌

Markham has given an extensive interview in a new book - Pressure: Lessons From The Psychology of the Penalty Shootout by Norwegian sports professor Geir Jordet - about how he helped change England’s attitude towards penalties in the build-up to the 2018 World Cup.

‌England beat Colombia in a shoot-out for their first success on penalties in a major tournament since Euro 96. Markham said in the book: “I think I found quotes from each of the last five England managers before Gareth Southgate, not including Sam Allardyce, that said either the penalty shoot-out was a lottery, penalties are all down to luck, or that you can’t practice that kind of pressure.

‌“From a psychological perspective, speaking about a lottery takes ownership away from the players. And that was the thing for me to give them back.

‌“To take control of not just the kick itself but the whole process. Initially it was about the perceived control. How can we increase the level of perceived control for the players and the staff and everybody?

“Luckily for us, Gareth and his staff were extremely open-minded and respectful of good quality work. But they don’t suffer fools gladly so we knew it had to be at a really high standard.

“Talking about run-up steps, angle, pace, you know everything from breathing techniques, optimal areas of aiming, goalkeepers, looking as gaze masks and goggles.”

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2024-07-08T00:00:55Z dg43tfdfdgfd