Declan Rice makes England penalty shootout admission ahead of first knockout tie | OneFootball

Arsenal star says he is not afraid of taking a spot-kick - and neither are his England team-mates

Declan Rice believes Thomas Tuchel’s current squad are the best group of penalty takers England has ever had.

Tuchel and FA staff are aware that in the knockout stages of a World Cup that has an extra round — the round of 32, in which England face DR Congo tomorrow — the odds suggest the Three Lions are likely to have to face at least one penalty shootout if they are to go all the way.

While England have had a historically poor penalty record, under previous head coach Gareth Southgate they won three of the four penalty shootouts they competed in, only losing to Italy in the final of Euro 2020, delayed a year and played in 2021.

They beat Colombia on spot kicks in the round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and defeated Switzerland on penalties twice — first to win the third-place playoff at the 2019 UEFA Nations League finals and then in their Euro 2024 quarter-final.

Tuchel has selected Al Ahli’s Ivan Toney in his squad partly because he is a penalty specialist, and England boast other expert takers such as Anthony Gordon and captain Harry Kane.

Harry Kane is England’s designated penalty taker

PA

“I've never been the strongest penalty-taker, but I feel like over time, my penalty in the Champions League final, I've never been so confident for a penalty,” said Rice, recalling the spotkick he converted for Arsenal in their eventual shootout defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest.

“I don't know what it was, I just have my process, I knew where I was going to go. I studied the keeper on where he thought I would have been, because my last couple of pens have been the other side. It was all about that mind games going on.

“I felt really calm. I've been nervous with penalties before. We played [Crystal] Palace earlier in the season, I was so nervous to take the pen. I scored. But I didn't feel as nervous when I did in that final.

Rice added: “I look at Harry, I look at Ivan, I look at Marcus [Rashford], look at Anthony Gordon, [Bukayo] Saka, I can take one, Jude [Bellingham can].

“We have real strong takers, and I feel like as the tournament goes on, you obviously hear the stat about you have to win a penalty shootout to get to a final or to win the tournament, and you know that might come along the way. So we're going to be fully prepared for that.

“I think with Harry, it is incredible repetition and his process before the game’s even played. The day before, he knows if he gets a penalty the next day, where he's going, there's no doubt in his mind. That’s the same with a lot of the lads: they would look at the keepers and study, but they have so much belief in their own process and technique that they're going to score.”

Rice was asked whether he has discussed with his teammates his view that they are England’s best-ever squad for penalties.

“I can't go up to Kane and tell him about pens, because he is the best penalty taker,” Rice said. “Everyone's mentality, we don’t have to say anything, it’s just relentless. Let’s hope the keepers can save a few.”