Take it slow & Southgate’s Lions will finally be spot on

ENGLAND have been on the wrong side of penalty shoot-outs too often.

They’ve lost seven out of the last eight since 1990 – the only win against Spain at Euro 96.

The FA have studied shoot-outs ahead of this tournament. There is a theory that, in the past, Three Lions players walked too quickly up to the kick, while others have taken longer.

All sorts of research is welcome. A slow walk up for someone with a high heart rate might work. Or a player might like a jog to get some energy into his legs. Psychologically, you have to be of a certain type to handle it. You can’t replicate a spot kick for a place in the quarter-final, just like golfers can’t recreate a six foot putt to win a Major.

I missed a penalty in the quarter-finals of the Europa League for Spurs once. It was the last one, to win the game. It’s horrible.

It is about experiences. Put yourself in enough situations with that kind of pressure and you’ll come through it. Luka Modric missed his kick to win the game for Croatia against Denmark (left), then came back for more in the shoot-out and scored. It put him at an advantage to have already been there.

The walk to the penalty spot is a long one. Martin Keown said to me the other day: “I think I’d run!” But the keeper will stand aside, have a drink, and let you stand alone on the penalty spot!

It is about being confident, getting your head right, staying cool and picking your spot. Putting your foot through it and picking a spot is a method. But you have to control your nerves.