Ben Lyttleton
@benlyt
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Football writer and consultant. Author of penalty book Twelve Yards, the Football School series, to get kids reading, & EDGE, to improve performance
Joined March 2007
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Southgate deserves huge credit for that penalty win. First Eng coach to say that penalties are NOT a lottery & are about performing a skill under pressure. Every single player knew their task & focused on their execution. They owned it - shows it can be done!
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I sincerely hope I'm wrong but it looked like Bruno Fernandes won the toss and let Villarreal kick first... Please say it ain't so...?!?!
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Gareth Southgate has created a cohesive environment of trust & support where players like Danny Rose are able to show vulnerability. It’s unprecedented in England team & can only improve performance. Humans first, athletes second!
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How did CRO win that? Scoring last goal in match improves chances. Momentum! Modric won toss & chose to kick first - good call. Pressure on Marquinhos kicking to avoid defeat is huge. Leaving Neymar to take pen 5, big NO! An ego-driven decision, most important pens are 1 & 4.
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Maybe too soon, but hope it helps...
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This is astonishing:
@OrlandoCitySC
GK is sent off mid-penalty shoot-out after second yellow card. Outfield player replaces him & becomes the hero. Never seen that before!
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I'm no Spanish speaker but I'm told this is top level trash-talking from Martinez
#ARG
vs Mina
#COL
. 'That ball looks big for you...I know you...You're nervous, I can see you're nervous...I know where you're going to shoot... chickenshit...' Thanks
@JuanG_Arango
for translation
Emiliano Martínez a Yerry Mina: "A vos ya te conozco"
Increíble, se los devoró psicológicamente
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The Messi paradox: why is the world’s best player average at penalties? I now have solutions to this question, thanks to insight from
@KuperSimon
@BumperGraham
&
@moillorens
. Barca have only lost ONE game when Messi missed a pen - enjoy!
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I don’t want to upset
#MUFC
fans, but might it help to understand what went wrong in last night’s shoot-out? Given they scored their first 10 pens, it’s hard to be too critical. But there were a few things I noticed…
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Under pressure, on deadline and somehow making sense of the madness.
@jonathanliew
is redefining the art of writing a match report. This is sensational
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Garay on Suarez: 'You can give him best food, best care, but one day tiger will open the door & eat you. Why? Because he is still a tiger.'
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Salah didn't even get to take a pen for Egypt 🇪🇬 - the danger of star player wanting to kick the 5th penalty. And why best advice says that pens 1 & 4 are most important. Congrats Senegal! 🇸🇳
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@seaningle
@tomadams83
I wouldn't expect Bruno to have read it but surely someone at the club *might* have done research on pens & learned that there is an advantage to kicking first?!
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Happy birthday Panenka! For me, it’s the most beautiful moment of football as art. Often copied, never equalled. Ball dropping as it crosses line, stays quite low, hits base of net - perfection. And he’s a lovely man!
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Happy birthday Panenka! Note the ball is dropping as it crosses the line, reaches no higher than chest-height & hits base of net. That is how you do it! And glad to hear he’s on the mend after Covid scare
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What a penalty. My records (&
@STATS_Football
) show Bonucci has NEVER taken in-game penalty before. Eder has 10/10 record (Samp) since 2012
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Van Gaal, confirmed in Holland as next MUFC coach, set to take Kluivert with him as assistant. Also Franshoek (GK coach) & Van Dijk (psych)
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Tremendous penalty to start 2022! Thanks to
@FourFiveWonton
for the tip. Enjoy and happy new year!
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Watching Ronaldo penalty again. So focused during 3-minute wait. Isolates himself away from the aggro. Preps spot that Mandzu & Szczesny tried to scuff up. Huge slow breath just before run-up. Did same pre-2006 WC QF pen v Eng (which he struck in same corner). So impressive!
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One of the most astonishing penalty save sequences I've ever seen. Bravo Bedenik! Via
@BertrandPirel
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On Messi and penalties. His penalty record for Argentina is 80% conversion, overall is 78%. An average record for an extraordinary player. Here’s a piece I wrote last year exploring why this might be:
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This is an important & moving interview w/ Anthony Knockaert on his mental health struggles after bereavement & divorce. 'Nothing to be ashamed of in reaching out.' Beautifully written by
@1DarrenTulett
. And what a fantastic club
@OfficialBHAFC
are.
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Seriously impressive from
@m_christenson
& the
@guardian_sport
team. Profiles on all 736 players at the World Cup. Great design & brilliant content. Bravo! And good luck when it's 48 teams...
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First player to succeed 'two-touch' penalty was Rik Coppens in 1957 (BEL v ICE). 2'35" into this: Not Cruyff!
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Afinkeev hasn’t saved a penalty in last 8 years of Champions/Europa League football (faced 7, conceded 7 - via
@STATSOnThePitch
). Aspas proves how hard it is to score in shoot-out to avoid defeat: conversion rate drops down to 64 per cent.
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Pens! You know what to look out for by now. Team kicking first has advantage; players’ reaction time after ref whistle; watch body language & celebrations after scoring. GK-Independent (picking your spot) strategy safer in shoot-outs. Enjoy!
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Many theories for Messi penalty woes: he finds them too easy, he knows he can win matches even if he misses, he overthinks it, player quality has nothing to do with penalty success. I even wrote about it here:
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Superb interview with
@mertesacker
by
@amylawrence71
here. His focus is on developing resilience, self-esteem & cohesion, & seeing the talent as people before athletes. Arsenal kids in good hands!
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How do teams work out how much player is worth? An investigation for
@SINow
@SI_soccer
http://t.co/ivPqw4oFis
One for
@karlsentk
@NatCoombs
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Love this myth-busting piece by Ignacio Palacios-Huerta, the original penalty king & master of game theory. Clear explanation why the 5 subs rule does not benefit big clubs. Enjoy!
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The lack of succession planning for the coach’s job in football continues to surprise / depress me. It’s the most important position in the club! Present fad of former legend builds short-term emotional connection but is not sustainable. Frustrating!
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Lovely gesture by
@TeamMelliIran
striker
@gh_reza
showing empathy for Morocco og scorer Bouhaddouz. No crowing, simply showing kindness to someone else. So much to learn from this!
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Sensational story about Luis Suarez & the role of myth/truth in our heroes
http://t.co/NL2rNPH8zw
Did he head-butt the ref?
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Clear that Southgate sees penalties as a trained skill that can be improved. 6 excellent pens, all Eng players took time before striking. Not enough height on Barkley’s for a Panenka. Other coaches would’ve put others before Pickford. Bravo Gareth! 👏
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Leeds fans excited about Marcelo Bielsa, this is superb by
@TPiMBW
, who wrote a book about Bielsa tactics (via
@ground_guru
). Fascinating!
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Superb interview by
@1DarrenTulett
with Thomas Tuchel, who says, 'There's more to life than points & trophies.' Yes! Not many coaches more emotionally connected to his players than TT. Chat includes
#Sisyphus
, disguises & pressure. Bravo!
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#LFC
future in good hands with Alex Inglethorpe as academy boss. 'Talent gets you to 16 but character gets you to 35,' he says in this terrific piece from
@CoachesVoice
. Influence of
#THFC
John McDermott clear.
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Great to see shootout dominated by GKs. Easy to say bad pens in hindsight but saves from Eriksen, Schone & Drmic excellent. Subasic a pen specialist with a 58pc conversion rate against him. Delighted Modric/Rakitic scored after missing in Euro 2008 PSO
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Dutch penalty curse! Who made brave call for VVD to take No 1, only his 2nd ever pen (he scored the other in League Cup final PSO)? Berghuis reaction to ref whistle seemed very quick. PSV pen-taker Gakpo subbed off late. Messi/Paredes big celebrations after scoring. It all helps!
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Pickford saved 2 /10 in PL/WC (from Lanzini & Cleverley) - 20% save rate. Ospina saved 6 / 30 in PL/UCL/Ligue 1- 20% save rate (via
@StatsonthePitch
). One slightly worrying stat: teams who scored last goal in match have better conversion rate in PSO (78% to 73%). Enjoy!
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Croatia GK Livakovic career record at pens is saved 14/54, which is a 74pc conversion rate. Puts him higher than average as a pen stopper (ave. conversion is 78pc). He saved 3/4 vs Japan. Decent!
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Benzema: he missed 2 pens vs Osasuna last wknd. Had Ederson in his face & Fernandinho in his ear as he spots ball. Looks twice at ref before whistle. Quick reaction time & speedy run-up. I think ball must be dropping as it hits the net for a true Panenka, but still a great pen!
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Not saying Egypt will be playing for penalties in this AFCON semi but they have won their last FIVE pen shoot-outs...
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Why Billy Beane was right to avoid EPL & work with AZ
http://t.co/Xq2Rvfg9ZE
feat.
@KuperSimon
@dwinnera
&
@SoccernomicsLtd
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Thomas Tuchel played Portugal LB Rapha Guerreiro in midfield at Borussia Dortmund because he felt he was too motivated by curiosity. 'He is brave, smiling, skilful & very curious.' Tuchel measured player motivation by A for aggressive, B for binding & C for curious.
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Wonderful, articulate & ultimately sad, breakdown of Argentina's failings from Jorge Valdano. Brilliant argument about the mediocrity of the debate.
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Croatia won 2 penalty shoot-outs in 2018WC. Kramaric & Modric (x2) scored then, both off now. Brozovic only player left from 2018 team who scored... Japan last shoot-out was in 2015 Asian Cup, lost to UAE... Let's go!
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This is raw & quite brilliant from
@kupersimon
who was at Stade de France. Thoughts with all my friends in Paris
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Perfect time to recommend this by
@kenearlys
on Steven Gerrard. On bravado, anxiety, brooding & leadership. Superb
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The Soccernomics revolution continues. Billy 'Moneyball' Beane takes official role at AZ Alkmaar
http://t.co/X6pLTqhXV5
via
@JongsmaJongsma
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Sure it's been said already but when Danny Blind is named HOL coach today & picks son Daley, it'll be Blind leading the Blind. Sorry
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Don’t be fooled into thinking that
@AthleticClub
are happy to have sold Kepa & Laporte for a combined €140M. The only success for the club’s ‘business model’ is in keeping the players. A unique & special club.
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With Klopp leaving BVB & Hummels/Gundogan likely to follow, I wonder how Marco Reus is feeling right now?
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Congrats
@chbiermann
whose tremendous book Football Hackers is out today. Modern football as (some of) you have never seen it, feat. Goalimpact, Matchmetrics, xGA, PPDA & Dangerousity. Bravo! 👏👏
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Great read on Östersund coach Graham Potter. So much to learn about developing identity & building team cohesion. Cultural project for later this year is a comedy musical. But will he still be there?
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ARG (1990) & CRO (2018) are only WC teams to win 2 shootouts in same tourney. BRA won 3/4 of their WC PSOs, won last PSO in 2019 Copa Am. Vlasic, Brozovic, Pasalic scored pens v JAP (not Livaja). Scoring last helps. 19/32 pens scored vs Alisson - 59pc conversion. Let’s go!
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Guess it's lucky for Arsenal that BVB are missing Reus, Gundogan, Hummels, Kuba, Piszczek & Sahin all injured
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#Panenka
himself thinks his penalty legacy has lasted because his surname is easy to say in any language. If his team-mate Ladislav Jurkemik, who scored the previous
#CZE
kick, had done it, he thinks we wouldn’t call it 'The Jurkemik'. I disagree (but Panenka works better)!
45 years ago today, Uli Hoeneß missed his spot-kick leaving Antonín Panenka to step up for the penalty to win Euro 76.
And by god, you know he stepped up.
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@RorySmith
Not anecdotal - one study showed 29% pens are struck central while GKs stay central only 6% of the time. Action bias clearly a factor
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Ronaldo so impressive at pressure penalties. Totally unfazed by De Gea distraction, just like 3-min wait he had before last-min Juve pen in Champs League. Slow breathing under control. Also scored in same corner!
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#Schneiderlin
wanted No 8 shirt at
#MUFC
. He asked
#Mata
for 8, & he said yes, if Rooney gives me No 10. No deal. Schneiderlin wears 28 [FF]
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Sanogo in L'Equipe: 'They [pundits] criticise me. But I'm always there, I'll play, improve & score. Sooner or later, it's going to happen'
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Gareth Southgate such an emotionally open leader. ‘For my players, their own self-worth isn’t about what they did on Sat. You’re [also] a father, a son, & a friend. Life’s about more than that.’ The excellent
#royalteamtalk
is an important watch. Thanks
@petercrouch
&
@jjenas8
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Superb piece by
@m_christenson
on Hoffenheim's 'rule-revolutionary' coach Nagelsmann. The next Bayern boss?
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Great interview with
@mertesacker
by
@StuartJamesGNM
here
http://t.co/Hkd704B9zM
#AFC
BFG always comes across so well
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Out tomorrow!
#FootballSchool
explains the world thru football. Will get yr kids reading.
@alexbellos
@WalkerBooksUK
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Looked like Gekas had quickest reaction time after referee blew whistle. Sign of stress. Every CRC player took a breath
#twelveyards
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Enjoyed chatting to
@ChelseaFCinUSA
about
#Tuchel
method of tapping into each individual player's motivation. If A=Aggressive (
#Auba
or
#Neymar
), B=Binding (
#Schmelzer
or
#Cavani
) & C=Curious (
#Dembele
or
#Mbappe
), which
#CFC
players are which? I'll start:
#Azpi
clearly a B...
A - Aggressive
B - Binding
C - Curious
Listen on to see how this simple scale helps our new manager approach players individually. And catch the full episode ⬇️
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'Brendan
#Rodgers
is the Aaron Sorkin of football' - brilliant from
@dionfanning
on
#LFC
, transition & time. Read it!
http://t.co/qe3KjYyq
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Sneak preview of
#Nani
interview ahead of
@England
v Portugal tonight for
#englandprogramme
, feat.
#MUFC
memories
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