Speaking on his YouTube channel, The Overlap, Gary Neville has given his honest verdict on Bukayo Saka taking England’s fifth penalty on Sunday.
The teenager of course missed the crucial spot-kick at the weekend, and it’s fair to say that Gareth Southgate’s decision to send a 19-year-old up at that moment has sparked debate.
Neville says that he was surprised to see Saka step up, but he acknowledges that it will have been a decision driven by data and what the coaching staff had seen in training.
What’s been said?
Neville gave his verdict on the penalty pecking order.
“It’s gone down to the more scientific data-led stuff, making sure you have your best penalty takers on the pitch at the end, making sure that those players have taken penalties before in those high-pressure situations,” Neville said.
“That then comes back to the situation with Saka, and yes, I was surprised to see him walk up as the fifth taker, but that will have been well thought out. They’ve looked at this, they’ve trained on it, they’ve practised and looked at who can strike a football, who can fire it into the corners, who can kick the ball hardest.”
Not a lottery
Regardless of what the cliches say, penalty shootouts aren’t a lottery.
Players practice, the order is usually figured out before the game, and the managers have a plethora of data to draw upon.
Saka must’ve shown something in training for Southgate to make this decision, and while it didn’t pay off this time, it’s impossible to say whether or not any other player would have been better or worse in this situation.
Was Southgate right or wrong? Well, it’s easy to say he was wrong to send Saka up because of his miss, but this most likely was an informed decision.
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