Tuchel to Continue Southgate's Penalty Shootout Strategy

England manager Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that his team will adhere to Gareth Southgate's penalty shootout blueprint at the World Cup. Tuchel's side faces DR Congo in their first knockout match of the tournament on Wednesday, a scenario that could lead to a penalty shootout. The match, taking place in Atlanta at 17:00 BST, will be broadcast live on BBC One and iPlayer.

England's Penalty Shootout History

Prior to Southgate's appointment as England manager in 2016, the national team had a poor record in tournament shootouts, winning only one of seven. Under Southgate, England's penalty preparations were elevated to a new level, resulting in three wins out of four shootouts. Tuchel has confirmed that the team will continue with the processes established by Southgate.

"The FA has a programme that has been in place for years and we follow the programme," Tuchel said. "We are prepared. We have a process, the players have a process." Despite the plan, Tuchel added a note of caution: "I think it is difficult to simulate the situation (of a penalty shootout). I heard Thierry Henry say he can't remember the walk from the halfway line to the penalty spot in his first penalty shootout for France – you cannot train that."

When asked if players will be given the option to take a penalty, Tuchel replied: "We know who takes them and we know the order but we don't know who finishes the game."

Southgate's Meticulous Approach

Southgate's planning was based on the belief that penalties are not a lottery and that clarity and preparation are key. The team practiced penalties regularly, aiming to replicate the actual experience in training to develop muscle memory. Southgate decided penalty takers well in advance based on training and publicly took full accountability to shield his players from blame.

He also assigned each penalty taker a "buddy" to greet them at the halfway line after the long walk back, designed to share the pressure. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had shootout notes from detailed research of opponents' likely approaches written on his water bottle.

In the Euro 2020 final loss, Southgate brought on Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho with seconds to spare for penalties. He later felt this didn't allow them enough time to be part of the game, so he adjusted the approach to give penalty takers more time on the pitch beforehand.

Southgate's Shootout Record

England have been part of 11 penalty shootouts at the World Cup, Euros, and Nations League. Before Southgate, the only success was against Spain at Euro 96. Southgate led England to their first World Cup penalty shootout win in 2018 against Colombia, followed by a 6-5 win over Switzerland in the 2019 Nations League. Their only shootout loss under Southgate came in the Euro 2020 final against Italy. At Euro 2024, they bounced back by defeating Switzerland 5-3 on penalties.

Tuchel Warns Against Expecting Glamour

Tuchel also cautioned that England should not expect a "glamorous performance" against DR Congo. His side won Group L with victories over Croatia and Panama and a goalless draw against Ghana. The German expects them to play better against stronger teams in later stages.

"We face actually a copy of Panama and Ghana in the round of 32," Tuchel told BBC Sport. "We will see the best version of us if we overcome the next rounds and go further in the tournament once... teams want to actually beat us and not hold us down and refuse us to play. We expect us to win. Everyone expects us to win. So there's not a lot to win except for matching our expectations."