Dele: I’m ready to step up and take spot-kick
Dele Alli wants to a take a spot- kick if England’s World Cup fate comes down to a penalty shootout.
The knockout phase brings with it the spectre of penalties, which Gareth Southgate’s men have been preparing for since March.
England have lost six of their seven shootouts at major tournaments, but Alli is confident this time will be different, should it come to it.
“We have been taking penalties after training and looking into things,” he said.
“We’re confident and we’re looking to change things.
“I took one against Southampton (at Tottenham ). I think everyone wants to step up and help the team as much as we can.
“Whatever is right at the time, if I’m on the pitch, I want to take one and I’ll ask to take one.”
Meanwhile, Colombia’s Carlos Sanchez has insisted England are far more than a one- man team reliant on their captain Harry Kane. The Tottenham striker’s five goals from England’s victories over Tunisia and Panama, and the extent to which they struggled in his absence when he was rested from the defeat by Belgium, has further highlighted the extent of Kane’s influence.
He is expected to return to the starting XI for Tuesday’ s last -16 fixture between the two teams in Moscow, but with Dele Alli, Raheem Sterling and Jesse Lingard also likely to start, Sanchez recognises England pose a wider threat.
The midfielder became familiar with English football during his two years with Aston Villa from 2014, and he said of Kane: “He is emblematic for England and shows their quality in the World Cup, but we will not face him alone, it will be the England team, there are many figures.
“The English are a country with a lot of history, they are very structured, they have players with important offensive power and they have shown in this competition, tactically, they area very well worked team.
“We are not favourites, they invented football, they have a lot of history, players with quality. “But I am sure we have the weapons. They have demonstrated their power but we also have our little things.” Colombia’ s leading player, James Rodriguez, remains an injury doubt, and the 32- year-old Sanchez said: “If there is not James there is another one who can make a difference.
“Everyone has the level to play and be here. “I have confidence we will work as a team to achieve the result that will take us to the next phase.”