Fritz Tells Rinderknech: 'Have A Nice Flight Home'
By Fernando Kallas
STUTTGART, Germany, July 4 (Reuters) - Mental preparation and plenty of practice are the most important factors in taking a penalty, Germany midfielder Ilkay Gundogan said as his team gear up for Friday's Euro 2024 quarter-final clash against Spain.
Both teams are heavy favourites and have provided some of the best football in the tournament so far and their clash could come down to a penalty shootout.
Gundogan, 33, said on Thursday that the pressure of taking a penalty is not something that can be replicated in training, but that it's still important to be mentally prepared.
"The key word for me is routine. When you step on to take a penalty, the pressure that exists in a game it's just different than it was in training and obviously to replicate is very, very difficult. I don't believe that you can replicate it in training," Gundogan told a press conference.
"You can train your routine. You can train how you want to approach a penalty. Your breathing, how you get calm... The most crucial thing is to get calm, how to get your heartbeat down.
"Just try to be cool and enjoy the moment of taking a penalty. Which is the most difficult thing because, otherwise anyone would score a penalty."
Gundogan is one of Germany's most experienced players and has taken almost 20 penalties in a successful career between clubs like Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City.
However, he believed anyone who stepped up to take a spot kick should be lauded for their bravery and that even some of the game's greatest players do not always score.
"Even the best takers in the world miss," Gundogan said.
"I automatically think about someone like Harry Kane who has a finishing that is unbelievable but I also remember him missing quite a few penalties.
"So it’s just the circumstances at the end of the day. I missed a lot of penalties in my career so far as well. At the end of the day you just try your best. Sometimes it gets rewarded and you can do it in a better way and sometimes not.
"I think to have the guts to step on, to take a penalty in crucial moments, to show respect for it, even when you miss because it is a situation that is extraordinary and it is very difficult to deal with." (Reporting by Fernando Kallas Editing by Christian Radnedge)
Rc24 Bsa Banner Grocery Retail Trends The Frankie Shop Paris 2022 FEVRIER Albindurand Albin ID 0153 Scaled 27b6ba Dfce646c271a49739f32dcb6f23d048b~mv2 Img001 Img004 F7f0ca C2db 4507 6a8b 5381c42d7 April 2023 Blog Graphic Pinterest Pin Depositphotos 263412524 XL Boutique 768x512 Depositphotos 453046404 XL Boutique 1024x683.webp191e9ffaa8f70579388954d3fcfd4df0 Depositphotos 7888155 XL Boutique 1024x687.webp53f9765e28fc4595ab62bb367262c9e3 286bade5d1eb48301af3e4f981d132b1 658affee4940b.image ?crop=1368%2C718%2C0%2C96&resize=1200%2C630&order=crop%2CresizeNoCoShopHop NoYearBanner D0eb67858b816b05628ece45b3c3b1ea C7e804178699e16f2f4536a3eb0eb5fb Hq720 ?sqp= OaymwEcCNAFEJQDSFXyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLBhOaNZarkysLBFyuNcU7g3Nqg0Aw1bf42bff2867cf9dccaa3690f52c9b7e Maxresdefault 8e14b0e3afce4d568cbe6ba53578df40 8227993.0 1801a01ecfa236bcb863aeede3eb2510 F BOP ShoppingSTyle 01 9ad2c3530c461bcc86262aa4f305e08b Depositphotos 453049026 XL Boutique 1024x683.webpCc5eb051bcb58069b97d9bf54d26f561 1cf6dc1670ad87a81a11ecd9626e5648 C9b94143dd713219a6cfbb58707dccf4 1b0005b35fc0abf44416acb99a1e9e3c 450bf49081aaa0a0957e03066aaf46b5 76a23bcf331f50b380560f60e9ee42d9 6a21d0d473c8ff5393228056fc42b985 Db167f2e5ed81a22a2ba6e22f87de69a 560473cfb8853a4b48ac25b9f4b26286 F2c88a69b7b94ad9f96e82236bf196eb
Fritz Tells Rinderknech: 'Have A Nice Flight Home'
By Fernando Kallas
STUTTGART, Germany, July 4 (Reuters) - Mental preparation and plenty of practice are the most important factors in taking a penalty, Germany midfielder Ilkay Gundogan said as his team gear up for Friday's Euro 2024 quarter-final clash against Spain.
Both teams are heavy favourites and have provided some of the best football in the tournament so far and their clash could come down to a penalty shootout.
Gundogan, 33, said on Thursday that the pressure of taking a penalty is not something that can be replicated in training, but that it's still important to be mentally prepared.
"The key word for me is routine. When you step on to take a penalty, the pressure that exists in a game it's just different than it was in training and obviously to replicate is very, very difficult. I don't believe that you can replicate it in training," Gundogan told a press conference.
"You can train your routine. You can train how you want to approach a penalty. Your breathing, how you get calm... The most crucial thing is to get calm, how to get your heartbeat down.
"Just try to be cool and enjoy the moment of taking a penalty. Which is the most difficult thing because, otherwise anyone would score a penalty."
Gundogan is one of Germany's most experienced players and has taken almost 20 penalties in a successful career between clubs like Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City.
However, he believed anyone who stepped up to take a spot kick should be lauded for their bravery and that even some of the game's greatest players do not always score.
"Even the best takers in the world miss," Gundogan said.
"I automatically think about someone like Harry Kane who has a finishing that is unbelievable but I also remember him missing quite a few penalties.
"So it’s just the circumstances at the end of the day. I missed a lot of penalties in my career so far as well. At the end of the day you just try your best. Sometimes it gets rewarded and you can do it in a better way and sometimes not.
"I think to have the guts to step on, to take a penalty in crucial moments, to show respect for it, even when you miss because it is a situation that is extraordinary and it is very difficult to deal with." (Reporting by Fernando Kallas Editing by Christian Radnedge)
