Practice Makes Perfect for Stuart Pearce's England

Stuart Pearce's England have practiced penalties in every training session for two years and on Friday in Gothenburg it paid off.

England's Under-21s were 3-0 up at half-time against the hosts Sweden in the European Championship semifinals, but a second-half collapse allowed the Swedes back in and after a goalless extra half an hour, penalties, which had never seemed likely, ensued.

Pearce had bowed out at the last-four stage on spot-kicks twice as a player, and two years ago as a coach and he was desperate not to repeat the feat again.

However after James Milner's slip and subsequent miss first up, England's players and staff looked away in disbelief, but that was the last wasted kick and England's well-drilled line-up eventually triumphed 5-4.

Whether it was luck or Pearce's attention to detail he certainly did everything in his planning and preparation to make sure nothing was left to chance and in the end made sure England's unwanted penalty record was not added to.

Before Friday's semifinal Pearce had described how he and his team had meticulously analysed the most successful way for each of his players to score from the spot and researched the order of the kicks.

"I will have a list of one to 23 penalty takers," he said. "I know the order which we take penalties. The only thing in doubt is the 11 on the pitch at that stage.

"We have analysed the direction in which players take penalties, which is the most successful way for each of our players, the success rate of those players, and obviously the goalkeeper's technique in saving penalties.

"We have spent two years working on those lessons. From years gone by the one thing that comes out is that when a manager walked out to the centre circle they had no idea who his best penalty takers were. He would ask who fancies it. That is not exactly a precise science, is it?"

In contrast Sweden coach Jorgen Lennartsson said: "We only practiced penalties once. I don't believe in practice. It is 90 per cent mental in that situation."

I think it's a safe international football bet that Pearce, whose reputation as a coach is growing by the day, had the last laugh.