England manager Roy Hodgson is contemplating the appointment of a psychologist to help England succeed should they face a penalty shootout at next year's World Cup.
England lost on penalties to Italy at Euro 2012 and Hodgson revealed that he has spoken to Dave Reddin to see whether the psychologist would consider a role with national team.
"I'll be interested to see what Dave has to say on the subject," Hodgson told the Sunday Express. "He was heavily involved with that part of sporting life with the Olympic team, and he's worked in rugby where kicking penalties is a crucial part of the sport. You only have to remember Jonny Wilkinson winning the rugby union World Cup final with his kicking.
"So, I have an open mind on the subject, I really have. When we lost on penalties at Euro 2012 I thought fatigue was the major factor. That was my personal experience. We had to work so hard over 120 minutes to keep Italy at bay in that game. We did an awful lot of running.
"But I can't say that the mental side played no part. That would be nonsense. Then mental side plays a major part in football, full stop. Whether someone who's a trained psychologist can help a player shoot better from a penalty, or whether coaches and managers can help - that's a discussion. Maybe there's a blend of the two."
Hodgson's England face Chile on Friday before taking on Germany on November 19.
Kristian Johnson
