Sunday 24 June 2012

Lampard Advices England On Penalties

"It is the most nerve-racking experience in football and you need the balls and the confidence to handle it. The pressure is just so intense,"



"Taking a penalty in a game is bad enough but, normally, if you miss in a match there's still time to try and put it right.
"In a shootout there are no second chances. That's it - it is the be all and end all and that adds to the pressure."
"Your mind is racing. You know the penalty taker is always expected to score. You can hear the opposition fans and you know they want you to miss. And you know the goalkeeper will have studied all your penalties and where you like to shoot," 
"The important thing is to make up your mind well before you go forward. You must decide what you are going to do and then stick to it. Don't ever change your mind.
"I try to go into 'the zone', to block out everything around me and just concentrate on what I'm going to do. Ignore the crowd, the antics of the opposition or the keeper. Block it all out and stick to your plan.".
"Anyone can miss a penalty, even Lionel Messi. Luckily, I have done pretty well over the years for club and country," he said.
"My toughest for England was at Wembley against Croatia in a Euro 2008 qualifier in 2007.
"We were 2-0 down at the time and so it was vital that I scored to try and get us back in the match. It was a full house at Wembley and I was anxious not to let the fans down. Thankfully, I scored but it wasn't enough as we lost 3-2."



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