According to The Sun, England might have put their penalty woes behind them. Statistics reveal that in the previous season across various leagues, English players were involved in 52 spot-kicks, converting an impressive 51 of them, resulting in a 98% success rate.
In recent years, the England national team has struggled with penalties. In the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Harry Kane equalized from the spot but missed a subsequent penalty, leading to England’s 1-2 quarter-final loss to France. In the 2020 UEFA Euro, it was once again penalties that denied England’s aspirations for the title since 1966. They lost 2-3 on penalties to Italy in the final, with Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka all failing to convert.
However, under Gareth Southgate, England has had its moments of triumph in penalty shootouts. In the 2019 UEFA Nations League, they defeated Switzerland 6-5 on penalties, and in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, they advanced to the quarter-finals by beating Colombia 4-3 on penalties in the round of 16.
This past season, though, the performance of English penalty takers in domestic leagues might instill more confidence. For Southgate, he could now face a ‘nice problem’ in deciding who should take the responsibility of being the first-choice penalty taker.
The data shows that in the previous season across major leagues, English players took part in 52 penalties, scoring 51, with a remarkable 98% conversion rate. Of these, 20 were scored with the right foot, 18 with the left, and 13 down the middle. Palmer was the most successful English penalty taker, netting 11 goals.