The England footballers used to live in fear of the notorious P word.
From Sunday, when England play Slovakia in the final 16, they’re heading into penalty shoot-out territory. However, thanks to Gareth Southgate’s influence during the 2018 World Cup, where England celebrated their first tournament penalty shoot-out victory in 22 years, players should no longer tremble with terror.
They experienced a devastating defeat during the last Euros finals when Italy beat them in a penalty shoot-out. Despite this, Southgate has completely transformed England’s penalty strategy compared to previous managers.
A lot of this change can be attributed to an unsung hero.
Chris Markham, presently the sporting director at Bolton Wanderers, spent four years working as Game Insights Lead for the Football Association. Markham played a significant role in shifting attitudes towards penalties – from considering them a “lottery” to treating them as a science requiring thorough preparation, extensive study and precise practice, as report the Mirror.
According to experts, excessive practice can actually exacerbate anxiety. Southgate and Markham initiated discussions on this matter in 2017.
They held a meeting with the players in March 2018 and successfully convinced the team.
After England’s penalty shootout victory over Colombia in the 2018 World Cup, Southgate was quick to text Markham, expressing his gratitude for his efforts. Markham has since shared intriguing details about England’s preparations in a new book titled ‘Pressure: Lessons From The Psychology of the Penalty Shootout’, penned by esteemed Norwegian psychology and sports professor Geir Jordet.
Markham revealed: “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.
“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.
While Southgate was on board with the plan, it took some convincing to get the players on the same page. Every detail was meticulously analysed, even down to creating specific zones for players to stand in after extra time.
Markham returned to St George’s Park to compile data on each opponent. He recalls watching TV footage of Colombia looking disorganised and crowding around their goalkeeper David Ospina, while England appeared calm and prepared.”
“I think framing was the main bit. All this work… was ultimately going into building the perception that we have control over this,” Markham explained. “It’s 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.
“Southgate’s approach revolutionised everything – and it paid off. However, Markham admits in his book that he has yet to celebrate that victory over Colombia. He added: “I stayed up until 9am that morning because we had to prepare the information on Sweden. So, I still don’t think I’ve celebrated it now.”
