ENGLAND can finally win a major tournament penalty shoot-out… If they follow this advice.
In new research commissioned by Sky Bet to help make the Three Lions better at spot-kicks just in time for Euro 2016, a formula has been devised to discover exactly where Harry Kane and Co should be shooting…
…Should they find themselves in a dreaded penalty shootout, of course.
Dr Ken Bray — a pre-eminent academic in football science who has worked with the likes of Southampton and previously identified the best general areas of the goal where penalties should be placed — has worked with Sky Bet to create the ground-breaking formula.
If the equation’s directives are followed by the Three Lions the Doctor believes penalties will be impossible to save and England will never suffer penalty shootout heartbreak again.
r = 0.65m
DR BRAY explains: “It needs to be near the angle of the goal but as far as possible from the cross bar, the post and the diving envelope – a place that we have now identified as r = 0.65m.
“That is, 0.65m from the cross bar and 0.65m from the post.
“These players practice spot kicks and shooting throughout their careers, if they practice shooting at this perfect spot with the right amount of power there is no doubt they will score and the curse of the penalty shootout will be lifted!”
5/1 FOR ANOTHER ENGLAND PENALTY HEARTBREAK
SANDRO DI MICHELE, spokesman for Sky Bet, said: “We all know England have a terrible penalty shootout record and it’s 5/1 the nation experiences more shootout heartbreak at Euro 2016.
“However Sky Bet are looking to make penalties better and if Roy Hodgson’s men follow the formula the odds are they WILL win in a shootout.
“50 per cent of the major tournament winners in the last 20 years have needed to win a penalty shootout along the way so if you want to lift the trophy the chances are you will need to get through a shootout.”
England’s penalty woes are, of course, well known.
Having been knocked out by penalties in six of their last eleven major tournaments going back to the 1990 World Cup the Three Lions have the worst record in shootouts amongst the major nations with a success rate of just 14 per cent.
However, Sky Bet’s research could finally bring England’s penalty shootout hoodoo to an end.
TISS IS HOW IT’S DONE
WITH the help of Matt Le Tissier Sky Bet has demonstrated to Roy Hodgson exactly what needs to be done in a short video below.
The former Southampton man is English football’s greatest ever player from the 12 yard spot with 48 out of 49 successful spot kicks.
THE SCIENCE BIT
USING various distances such as the half width of the goal, the height of the posts, the goalkeeper’s reach — or ‘diving envelope’ — Professor Bray was able to create his unique formula.
The Professor starts by identifying the goalkeeper’s diving envelope – his area of reach when diving.
This shows an area on each side of the goal which is the Unsaveable Zone.
The bottom corners are not the best choice because, as the Professor explains: “The zone is narrower whilst any shot scuffed along the ground loses speed giving the keeper more of an advantage.
“It is better to aim for the top corners with a wider Unsaveable Zone.”
But is there a perfect spot? “Emphatically yes!” says the Professor.
“It needs to be near the angle of the goal but as far as possible from the cross bar, the post and the diving envelope — a place that we have now identified.”
From here Professor Bray can pinpoint an exact spot using a quadratic equation style formula that has bored or terrified generations of GCSE students.
The Professor works this out as:
r² - 2r (a + b + R) + a² + b² - R² = 0
or
r = 0.65m
So that means the perfect penalty should be placed 0.65m from the post and 0.65m from the cross bar — and therefore 1.79m from the ground.
’X’ MARKS THE SPOT
IN layman terms we can all understand the perfect spot as shown here.
Shoot at this spot with the right amount of power and the penalty taker will score. Someone tell Roy Hodgson!
SKY BET ENGLAND EURO 2016 PENALTY SHOOTOUT BETTING
ODDS below:
5/1 England to be knocked out in a penalty shootout
5/1 England to win a penalty shootout
PENALTY SUCCESS = TROPHY SUCCESS
50 PER CENT of winners of major tournaments in the last 20 years have had to win at least one penalty shootout to lift the trophy.
That figure rises to 62 per cent if tracked back to World Cup 90 when winners Germany famously knocked out England in a semi-final shootout.
PENALTY SHOOTOUT RECORD OF MAJOR NATIONS
IT’S no surprise Germany have the best record at penalty shootouts.
They hold an impressive 83 per cent win rate, whilst England languish at just 14 per cent.
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