England subs ready to step up if penalty shootout scenario rears its head at Euro 2024
One of the topics being discussed among England's substitutes in camp is whether they would be happy to come on cold for a penalty shootout.
"I was speaking about this the other day with Ivan [Toney]," Cole Palmer revealed. "Yeah, I'd come on and take one."
Palmer and Toney are the obvious pair to talk through this scenario, because they are by far the likeliest players to be introduced specifically to take a penalty.
They are both specialists from the spot and a huge part of the reason that Gareth Southgate is confident that he has a better set of takers now than at Euro 2020.
Three years ago, in the Euros final against Italy, Southgate's decision to bring on Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho in the 119th minute backfired, as they both missed from the spot, along with Bukayo Saka.
The England manager has, however, suggested that he is ready to do the same again in Germany.
Southgate gave his players no say in who stepped up at Wembley, instead relying on training data compiled by his assistant, Steve Holland, and it was Saka's first senior penalty, while Sancho was also an inexperienced taker.
As England prepare for Saturday's quarter-final against Switzerland, Southgate should be able to count more on hard numbers from top-level matches in choosing his takers.
Harry Kane is the undisputed taker for club and country, with 21 England goals from the spot and a career record of 76 penalties from 86 attempts.
The captain has not dwelt on his costly miss against France in the World Cup quarter-final, which remains his last failure from 12 yards.
Saka, meanwhile, has responded magnificently to personal heartbreak against Italy by making himself the Gunners' taker, scoring 13 from 14 attempts for the club since. Jude Bellingham, too, is dependable, with five from five in his career, including two in shootouts.
Then there are England's likely "finishers" from the bench, as Southgate likes to call them.
Once you miss in a shootout, there isn't time to redeem yourself. If you miss and everyone scores, it's all your fault
Cole Palmer
Palmer has taken just 11 penalties in his senior career, but scored every one of them, making him the only England player with a 100 per cent success rate from at least 10 efforts from the spot. Eberechi Eze has scored seven penalties from eight in his career, including his last seven in a row.
Toney, in particular, has a remarkable penalty record: 35 goals from 38 attempts, leading Brentford boss Thomas Frank to describe him as the "best in the world". "He's like a five-a-side player when the ref says 'one step'," Palmer said of Toney. "You just know he is going to score."
One question, though, is how much a player's record really matters in the pressure-cooker environment of a shootout at a major international tournament, as Palmer acknowledged.
"When you know you are going to take a penalty [in a shootout], you start thinking," the Chelsea forward said. "And then there is the coin toss and everything. You have to stand there and watch everyone else take it, the pressure builds up and up.
"In a game, if you miss, there is still time to do something to score. Once you miss in a shootout, there isn't time to redeem yourself. If you miss and everyone scores, it's all your fault. It's just more pressure."
