Tuchel to stick with Southgate's penalty plan

England manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed that his team will adhere to the penalty shootout strategy established by his predecessor, Sir Gareth Southgate, at the World Cup. Tuchel's side faces DR Congo in their first knockout match on Wednesday, a scenario that opens up the possibility of penalties. The game, kicking off in Atlanta at 17:00 BST, will be broadcast live on BBC One and iPlayer.

Before Southgate took over in 2016, England had a poor record in major tournament shootouts, winning only one out of seven. Under Southgate, penalty preparation was elevated to a new level, resulting in three victories in four shootouts between 2018 and 2024.

"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." He added a note of caution: "I think it is difficult to simulate the situation [of a 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."

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 planning included a philosophy that penalties were not a lottery, and that clarity and preparation were key. The team practised regularly and sought to replicate the actual experience in training to build muscle memory. Southgate decided on takers well in advance and publicly took full accountability to shield his players. Each taker was assigned a "buddy" to greet them at the halfway line. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had notes on his water bottle from detailed research of opponents.

In the Euro 2020 final loss to Italy, Southgate brought on Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho with seconds left, but both missed. After that, he felt this did not give them enough time to feel part of the game, so he adjusted to give takers more pitch time beforehand.

Tuchel also said England should not expect a "glamorous performance" against DR Congo. His side won Group L with wins over Croatia and Panama and a goalless draw with Ghana. He expects them to play better against stronger teams later in the tournament.

"We face actually a copy of Panama and Ghana in the round of 32," he 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." He added: "We expect us to win. Everyone expects us to win. So there's not a lot to win except for matching our expectations."