The England players used to be afraid of the dreaded P word.
We are into shoot-out territory from Sunday when England face Slovakia in the last 16 but, while there will be nerves, players should no longer be shaking with fear. Gareth Southgate changed all that back in the 2018 World Cup when England won their first penalty shoot-out in a tournament in 22 years.
They suffered heartbreak in the last Euros finals when they lost to Italy in a shoot-out but, unlike under previous managers, Southgate has completely changed England’s approach to penalties. And much of that is down to an unsung hero.
Chris Markham, who is now sporting director at Bolton Wanderers, had four years at the Football Association as Game Insights Lead. Markham helped change the attitude towards penalties from being a “lottery” to a science where players did detailed preparation, studies and just the right amount of practice.
Too much practice, the experts say, can actually add to the nerves. England boss Southgate had the first conversations with Markham in 2017, the penalty guru held a players’ meeting in March 2018 and convinced the squad.
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After England beat Colombia on penalties in the 2018 World Cup, one of the first people that Southgate texted was Markham to thank him for all his efforts. Markham has given a fascinating insight into England’s preparations in a new book Pressure: Lessons From The Psychology of the Penalty Shootout by renowned Norwegian psychology and sports professor Geir Jordet.
Markham said: “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.
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England beat Colombia on penalties in 2018 to end their 22-year hoodoo“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.
“I went into Gareth’s office, we basically printed out and cut into bits of paper all the different topics and Gareth then prioritised, literally on the floor and table, which ones he thought were important and which ones he thought were less of a priority.”
England lost to Italy on penalties in the last European Championship final (Getty Images)While Southgate bought into it, the players needed convincing. Every detail was studied even creating zones where players would stand as they congregated after extra time.
Markham was back at St George’s Park where he compiled data on each opponent but remembers looking at the TV pictures which had Colombia looking disorganised and crowding around keeper David Ospina. England looked calm and ready.
“I think framing was the main bit. All this work… was ultimately going into building the reception that we have control over this,” said Markham. It is not something like a lottery; we can be better prepared than the other team because they won’t be thinking about it in this much detail. When the shoot-out happened, I’d never been so nervous. I felt sick.”
But Southgate’s approach changed everything - and it worked. However, Markham recalls in the book that he has still celebrated that Colombia win. He added: “I stayed up to like 9am that morning because we had to prepare the information on Sweden. So, I still don’t think I’ve celebrated it now.”
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Pressure: Lessons From The Psychology of the Penalty Shootout by Geir Jordet (published by New River Books)
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