England's history from the spot in major tournaments is particularly bleak, winning just one penalty shootout at a World Cup in their entire history.
With that in mind, nerves are likely to grow the longer the Three Lions' quarter-final clash against France goes on with the scoreline level on Saturday night, while the threat of penalties looms larger and larger. Some of the nation are still recovering from the heartache of Euro 2020, when Gareth Southgate's men were beaten on penalties in the final against Italy on home soil.
If the England boss wants to avoid a repeat of that miserable July night under the Wembley Stadium arch last year, he should follow the four-step guide Premier League giants Liverpool did for their two shootout success stories last term.
The Reds beat Chelsea in the finals of the FA Cup and EFL Cup, with both victories coming after a triumphant penalty shootouts. Jurgen Klopp was quick to dedicate the wins to a company he has been working closely with who are tasked with helping sides overcome penalty nerves.
It may be worth a re-watch from Southgate's perspective. The moment the full-time whistle went, Klopp immediately got to work with his players. Football psychology researcher, consultant and speaker Geir Jordet broke down how the Reds boss approached each taker slightly differently, trying to cater to their contrasting emotions. This was step one.
Klopp was spotted issuing his instructions clearly and quickly before motivating them with one last rallying cry before they lined up along the halfway line. In turn, the Liverpool players looked significantly more confident and composed than their Chelsea counterparts as step two was complete.
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While the German coach was pictured laughing and joking with Virgil van Dijk in a bid to ease the tension, opposition number Thomas Tuchel didn't exactly look in control of what was then his Chelsea side.
The speed with which Klopp identified the takers and gave his instructions directly impacts step three. Given the Reds were quicker in dispersing from their huddle, they had the pick of which side of the pitch they lined up on.
Liverpool chose to stand the side closer to the dugout, something England should try and do given it makes relaying instructions to and from the coaching staff much easier.
Finally, step four - perhaps the most important one from Southgate's perspective, considering how badly the last shootout went for England - is to exude calmness. Give the impression that nerves are minimal and try to ease the minds of the players before they step up.
The likes of Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford have already suffered from a spot-kick miss once and to go through such an ordeal a second time would be harrowing. That being said, Southgate has discussed the idea of both of them stepping up once again.
"They’re both in a good space with that," the England boss said of Saka and Rashford. "And in terms of making changes, Marcus came on as a sub for us in Moscow in 2018 and took a penalty four or five minutes earlier than we put him on at Wembley.
"I’ve seen lots of teams do it. Score, and it’s the right thing. If you don’t, then it’s the wrong thing. We’ve got to stick with our processes, give ourselves the best percentages of winning, and we feel we are very well prepared."
