Thomas Tuchel has warned his England squad they will need to win two penalty shootouts if they are to lift the World Cup. The England manager has already put his players through spot-kick practice, spelling out the message in team meetings and individually ahead of the tournament.
Tuchel’s backroom staff have analysed statistics and research, concluding that the expanded 48-team tournament and possible weather conditions could produce two shootouts for a team that goes all the way. England finished a behind-closed-doors practice match against Miami FC on Thursday with a penalty shootout, and Tuchel has built a squad rich in spot-kick specialists: Harry Kane, Ivan Toney, Anthony Gordon, Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka.
“Thomas Tuchel has warned his England squad they will need to win two penalty shootouts if they are to win the World Cup.”
Toney’s inclusion was partly because he scored in a shootout against Switzerland at the last European Championship and possesses “brilliant technique”, Tuchel explained. It is a deliberate response to England’s chequered history from 12 yards. They lost three consecutive shootouts in 1990, 1998 and 2006 – record-breaking misery that did not end until victory over Colombia in 2018. But the pain returned in the Euro 2021 final, when they lost another shootout.
Tuchel is determined to be ready for the drama. England have also calculated that only 21 players are likely to get game time in the World Cup, meaning five squad members will be unused. The “unlucky five” are likely to include two reserve goalkeepers, which influenced Tuchel’s decision to pick “good tourists” such as Jordan Henderson and Dan Burn.
England open their Group L campaign against Croatia next Wednesday. Jude Bellingham is favourite to start in the No 10 role, Bukayo Saka is hoping to be fit, while Ezri Konsa and John Stones impressed as a central defensive partnership in the warm-up win over Costa Rica. The Miami FC friendly was played in two 25-minute halves, with a focus on set-pieces after Tuchel made clear that free-kicks and corners will be vital.
Group L also includes Ghana and Panama, and England are huge favourites to top the group. But with the tournament’s new format and the likelihood of tight knockout matches, Tuchel is leaving nothing to chance. The message has been delivered: if England want the trophy, they will have to beat the best – and do it twice from the spot.