Euros criticism is a factor in choice of penalty-takers
Fear of a social media backlash will weigh heavily on Gareth Southgate when the England manager selects players for penalty shoot-outs.
Southgate was appalled by the racist abuse directed at black England players Jadon Sancho, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford after they missed penalties in last year’s Euro 2020 final against Italy.
England lost the showpiece at Wembley and Southgate confessed yesterday that he had even considered whether he was partly responsible after selecting the players who stepped up for the spot kicks.
With England preparing for the World Cup in Qatar later this year, Southgate has revealed that he will have to consider the fallout from last July’s final if his team face penalties again.
“When I left The Grove [team hotel] that day [after England’s defeat in the final], I couldn’t help but feel, ‘Have I created this situation here for the boys?’” he said.
“We’ve had 55 years of talking about penalties and everything else, so we’ve now got another layer that’s going to make it extremely difficult for us to win anything.
“Some of the boys have taken more with their clubs. Reece James has, I think, had four in shoot-outs this year. Trent [Alexander-arnold] has had two. Bukayo has now taken a couple for his club, which were massively courageous moments that epitomised what he’s about.
“But indirectly, we have created another layer of difficulty in overcoming a penalty shoot-out. I have got to take all of those things into consideration and it is incredibly complex.
“We went through a process of preparing for penalties. We’ve definitely reviewed that. Psychology is a part of it and I have to be aware of all of those things.”
Southgate’s players take on Germany in their second Nations League match tonight, aiming to bounce back after the disappointing 1-0 defeat by Hungary last weekend.
The manager is set to name a strong team for the clash in Munich, including a defensive back three of Kyle Walker, John Stones and Harry Maguire.
Southgate came under heavy scrutiny from some England supporters after the ineffective performance in Budapest and admitted his team needed to produce a reaction.
“I know there are factors behind Saturday but we should not be going to Hungary and not winning the game, or certainly not losing the game,” he said. “Frankly, I can ride that. It’s the team I’ve got to protect.
“It’s not what we would have chosen because we would not choose to lose the game. But we’ve had so long since we experienced a defeat, that little jolt, we wouldn’t have chosen it, but we’ve had it now – it’s a good opportunity to see how everybody reacts.”
Southgate confirmed that England captain Harry Kane would continue to wear the rainbow armband for the three remaining Nations League matches during Pride month.
Southgate also reflected on Wales’s qualification for the World Cup and the prospect of facing them in late November. Wales secured their place in Qatar with a dramatic victory over Ukraine on Sunday and will now join England, Iran and the United States in Group B.
“There are plenty of teams we could have played in that play-off draw that don’t like us particularly, so that certainly adds to the way the opposition
approach the game,” he said.