England’s players were shocked by Gareth Southgate’s decision to give Bukayo Saka the responsibility of taking the decisive fifth penalty in their European Championship final shootout loss by Italy.
Saka, 19, was only considered a borderline candidate to make Southgate’s squad on the eve the tournament, yet was chosen to take a penalty ahead of more experienced players such as Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish because of his outstanding conversion rate in training sessions.
Team-mates threw their collective arms around Saka on Monday, with numerous public messages of support posted on social media after they consoled him at a team dinner in London later that night.
Arsenal owner Josh Kroenke, manager Mikel Arteta and academy boss Per Mertesacker sent messages of support to Saka, who graduated to the first-team and played a vital role this season, having been at the club’s Hale End academy from the age of seven.
But some England players were shocked that a teenager had been put in a position to determine the outcome of their biggest match in 55 years.
The Arsenal midfielder was only winning his ninth cap and had never previously taken a penalty at senior level, his only experience of spot kicks coming in youth-team matches.
Southgate’s controversial selection of Saka was based on the players’ performances from the spot in training last season, the results of which were monitored and logged.
Training has concluded with penalty practice at every session since September, when players met for international duty in UEFA Nations League matches against Iceland and Denmark.
Assistant coach Steve Holland kept a record of all their efforts, creating a league table of penalty-takers.
Saka was called up to the squad for the first time for a friendly against Wales last October and has consistently outperformed more experienced penalty-takers in training, as have Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, who also failed against Italy’s 6ft 5in goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Rashford and Sancho came on in the final minute of extra-time specifically for the shootout, but Rashford hit a post and Sancho’s effort was saved.
All of England’s penalty training sessions are recorded so the players can review video footage, with Holland’s data showing which area of the goal players aimed for, as well as the outcome.
Southgate also encouraged the players to take their time walking to the spot during penalty practice, in order to closely replicate the matchday experience.
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