French Football Federation’s Action Plan to Improve Penalty Shootout Performance

Kylian Mbappé, after missing his penalty against Switzerland in 2021. In the process, the joy of Yann Sommer and his teammates, qualified for the quarter-finals of the Euro.image: keystone

The French football team remains on several failures on penalties, including that against Switzerland in the round of 16 of Euro 2021. To put an end to its defeats in this exercise, the French Federation (FFF) launched a process supposed to allow him to progress in the field.

14.02.2024, 06:0614.02.2024, 07:23

“It’s the lottery.” Here is how Raphaël Varane, Hugo Lloris and Didier Deschamps justified, in part, the elimination of the Blues in the round of 16 of the Euro, on penalties by the Nati. Everyone was unanimous: the qualification was decided on a roll of the dice, regardless of the performance of Yann Sommer, the man having released Kylian Mbappé’s shot.

A year later, at the World Cup, the French team experienced a new penalty shootout. This time, it was she who obtained it in an unexpected way, after being led 2-0 then 3-2 by Argentina. But the result was the same. Hugo Lloris did not stop any opposing shots, when Martinez repelled Coman’s. Aurélien Tchouaméni found the post.

Emiliano Martinez, after stopping against Kingsley Coman. Image: keystone

When it doesn’t want, it doesn’t want

The A tricolors officially remain on three consecutive defeats on penalties. Besides Argentina and Switzerland, there is this match against Italy. It was 2006, during another World Cup final. David Trezeguet still remembers it, he was the only one to miss the target. His heavy shot crashed against Gianluigi Buffon’s lath.

Didier Deschamps was not the coach of the France team at that time. But since his arrival on the French bench, we know, the Blues have not worked on penalty shootouts. The French technician is not a fan of this exercise, proof of which is the following declarations, at the end of 2023, a year after the disillusionment of the World Cup in Qatar.

“At training, there is no one except you. You never manage to recreate match conditions. The emotional side, the public, the positioning of the shooters… Nothing can be prepared. And then between what you can predict and what happens… The last session against Argentina, all the planned shooters were no longer on the field. Afterwards, if the best get 1, 2, 3, 4 in training, why not? But I’m not convinced that it does much, but that’s just my opinion. This is why I don’t do specific sessions.”

Didier Deschamps, at BeIN SPORTS

Is Deschamps right? If many agree that penalties are not a lottery, studies to support this, young French shoots are also not successful. In 2023, the French U17s lost the Euro and World Cup finals on penalties, even though they worked on this exercise.

“This is the second time in a row. The goalkeeper makes saves in front. Are these penalties taken poorly or saved well? I don’t know. No matter how much we work on them, it’s difficult”

Jean-Luc Vanucchi, coach of the French U17 team

The women also struggle when it comes to deciding the fate of a match 11 meters from the cage. Hervé Renard’s players thus failed in the quarter-final of the 2023 World Cup, 7-6 on penalties against Australia.

The French Football Federation launches a process to progress in the field

All these failures, at different levels, pushed the French Football Federation (FFF) to act. The national technical direction wants to change things, in order to no longer relive the traumas of Switzerland and Argentina, among others.

RMC Sport tells us that the theme was discussed during the recent seminar of the different French selections, however not including Didier Deschamps’ A. DTN Hubert Fournier details his desire to create a dynamic between the groups. The staff will provide food for thought, while the coach will be placed at the center of the national plan.

“He is the one in charge and everything starts from him. There is the setup, the weeks or days before the possible penalty shootout, to prepare the players. He will have to offer them a scenario while trying as much as possible to contextualize the penalty shootout. And then he will have to offer them various exercises that will allow them to create personal confidence. It will also be necessary to prepare, in the same way as that for the match, a real strategy linked to the specificity of shooting on goal.

Hubert Fournier, national technical director at the French Football Federation

It’s not just the preparation ahead of the meeting that France wants to work on. The FFF also wants to focus on this short period of time which separates the end of the second overtime and the start of the penalty shootout. Fournier believes that everything must be framed and ordered. Everyone must have a role.

“During these five or six minutes, the staff and the coach must have very clear ideas about what the demands are and who the shooters will be. And then, during this period which is very short, you have to be able to give confidence to your group. And that’s crucial.”

Hubert Fournier

Trust. This is perhaps what the Blues lacked in 2021 against the Nati. The French team led by two goals 10 minutes from the end of the match, before being caught. The Tricolores probably thought about it as the fateful session approached. Perhaps they were more feverish. The Swiss certainly felt more unstoppable – Vladimir Petković’s speech was spot on.

Petkovic and his men, shortly before the penalty shootout against France. Image: KEYSTONE

In its work plan, the FFF also wishes to include all the players in the squad. Because certain elements can enter unexpectedly during the game. Then, the sessions sometimes last until the end of the night – they regularly involve more than five shooters.

The French Football Federation also wants to put an end to the “star shooters”, who wish to present themselves in fifth and last position, in order to give victory to their team. Against Switzerland, Kylian Mbappé was No. 5 on Didier Deschamps’ list. He failed. Neymar also wanted to finish in the quarter-finals of the last World Cup. He ultimately never struck, Croatia having eliminated Brazil before the fifth shooters even showed up.

The body does not forget the role of guardians. Fournier mentions the in-depth study of opposing shooters and a “strategy of influence”, making it possible to destabilize the opponent. What Hugo Lloris has never been able to do, unlike his counterpart, the Argentinian Emiliano Martinez.

“It is a crucial element in the success of penalties. There is also a strategy to put in place with the goalkeeper coaches so that they also have knowledge of the shooters to create confidence, and then a strategy of influence vis-à-vis the opponent.

Hubert Fournier

France is therefore making a major change in the way it approaches penalties. If all the teams wish to play the game, it remains to convince Didier Deschamps, at the head of the A. According to RMC Sport, discussions will take place in March during the next international window.

It remains to be seen whether the coach will review his position, a few months before the start of Euro 2024, a competition which could once again lead France to take part in a penalty shootout.