England using special goal net to practise penalties ahead of WC knockout stages

ENGLAND are using a special net for penalty practice every day ahead of the World Cup knockout stages.

Gareth Southgate’s penalty takers are being tasked with trying to get greater accuracy on their spot-kicks.

And that involves the special net being used for extra practice during each session.

And no doubt that will now be increased as the Three Lions prepare to face Senegal in the last-16 on Sunday.

The net has been designed so that players will aim for the corners of the goal.

And even though it is not new to Southgate’s camp, it is being used more than in previous tournaments.

Southgate brought in shooting coach Allan Russell and psychologist Pippa Grange for the last World Cup in Russia.

England had success there too, beating Colombia in the last-16 via a shootout.

However, both of them no longer work with England, who were beaten by Italy in last year’s European Championship final on penalties.

The Times states that Southgate’s penalty takers “have been perfecting their spot-kicks not by trying to beat a goalkeeper but the skills net” over the past fortnight.

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We reported previously how England are practising penalties WITHOUT goalkeepers in a bid to avoid more shootout heartache.

Keeper Aaron Ramsdale, 24, revealed: “It can become detrimental if they are taking them against goalkeepers because we then start to know where they are going.

“If I know where you are going seven times out of ten and I start cheating and going early and start saving them, you might start worrying about it.

“We have something which is called a skills net where the corners are open.

“At the moment the lads are just working on technique.

“Everybody can take penalties, it is just those fine pressure-margins which we can’t recreate out there unfortunately.”