July 8th 2024.
England's manager, Gareth Southgate, is determined to keep England's penalty strategies under wraps. He has instructed the players not to reveal any information to the media regarding their approach to penalties. The team is set to face the Netherlands in the semi-finals of Euro 2024 on Wednesday, and Southgate wants to maintain the element of surprise.
In their previous quarter-final match against Switzerland, the Three Lions had to rely on a penalty shootout to secure their spot in the semi-finals. The team put on an impressive performance, with goalkeeper Jordan Pickford making a crucial save and players like Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Ivan Toney, and Trent Alexander-Arnold scoring their penalty kicks.
Under Southgate's leadership, England has made significant progress in their penalty record. Before he took charge in 2016, the team had lost six out of seven penalty shootouts at major tournaments since 1990. But since then, they have won three out of four, with their only loss being against Italy in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley.
Pickford, Toney, and Saka were all instrumental in England's success in the penalty shootout against Switzerland. Pickford even had the details of Switzerland's penalty takers written on his water bottle. However, the team is keeping their penalty strategies a closely guarded secret during Euro 2024. Players like Pickford, Marc Guehi, and Ezri Konsa have been instructed not to talk about penalties in their media interviews.
Even Southgate has been tight-lipped about their plans for penalties, saying, "Everybody else who used to work for the FA seems to have done that over a period of years. We'll keep our counsel and prepare as thoroughly as we always do."
The team's tactics were even leaked by the media before their quarter-final match against Switzerland, which left Southgate furious. He expressed his frustration, saying, "We do a lot of things. As I said, we've won three out of four, and a lot of our processes have been shared. Our tactical plan for the game was also shared three days before. We live in an amazing world where it's so difficult for us because any element of surprise you might have with the opponent is gone three days before. It's quite incredible, really."
England's route to the Euro 2024 final has been remarkable, and they are now just one game away from reaching back-to-back finals in the European Championship. They will face the Netherlands in the semi-finals on July 10, and if they win, they will face either Spain or France in the final on July 14.
After their win over Switzerland, Bellingham revealed the important role played by former Netherlands international and current England coach, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, in their penalty preparations. He also acknowledged the contribution of other goalkeepers like Dean Henderson, Aaron Ramsdale, and Tom Heaton, who have been practicing penalties with the team.
Bellingham said, "I was really confident in my preparation, confident in the things I talked through with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. He's stepped up for us massively. It's the work that he does behind closed doors, with the lads being willing to take on that information, that put us in those situations in order to be able to win. So this is a massive team effort."
He also praised the goalkeepers, saying, "Again, they won't get the credit they deserve, but essentially, if they don't put in the right effort, you don't have the right practice to go out and execute. It's a massive team win."
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