A penalty shootout is a psychological game. Andrew Redmayne gave a mind game master class as Australia beat Peru on penalties to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. What did he do and why did it work? Thread 1/9
Most obvious, his dance moves on the goal line were elaborate, spectacular and seemingly effective. Research shows goalkeeper distraction behaviors are linked with 10% less goals for the penalty taker (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). The key is to be erratic & unpredictable. 2/9
This was not Redmayne’s first dance. He used the same technique when saving two kicks in the shootout that gave his Sydney FC the A-league title vs Perth in 2019. Other than that, his shootout experience is limited and his regular penalty saving percentage is poor (13%). 3/9
Against Peru, Redmayne was substituted on in the 120th min, clearly for the shootout. Although not always a success (e.g. Kepa for Chelsea in the Carabao cup final), this type of substitution is a power play that makes any opponent a bit wary about the goalkeeper coming on. 4/9
After each shot, Redmayne handed the ball off to his own team’s penalty taker, to give him a friendly and familiar start to his pre-shot routine. This technique was pioneered by England in the 2018 World Cup, and since used with success by Liverpool this season, among others. 5/9
After the ball handoff, Redmayne acted as penalty taker bodyguard, by protecting his penalty takers from the Peru goalkeeper’s mind games. This makes it easier for his penalty takers to focus on their own shot. First time I’ve seen a goalkeeper take this role in a shootout. 6/9
Redmayne also engaged in more confrontational mind games. Against Alexander Callens, Redmayne first jovially offers to hand over the ball, then swiftly slips it away from him in stead. The show of disrespect is clear and obvious. 7/9
For the final shot, Redmayne takes forever to get to the goal line, forcing the ref to delay his whistle & the penalty taker to wait 18 sec after having placed the ball and walked back. Our research shows 20% less goals after such long waits (sciencedirect.com). 9/9
A penalty shootout is never decided by only one player or one type of action. There are small margins, many factors & coincidence also plays a role. With that said, Redmayne deliberately seized control over this shootout, which most likely tipped the odds in his favor. 9/9
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