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Hugo Lloris, the legendary French goalkeeper, recently cast doubts on the French Football Federation's (FFF) new approach to bettering France's penalty shootout outcomes through training.
The retired shot-stopper, who led France to two World Cup finals in 2018 and 2022, insists that real-game experience trumps any training regimen when it comes to mastering the art of penalties.
Lloris Advocates for Experience Over Planning
In an illuminating chat with Le Parisien, Lloris reminisced about the heartbreak of the 2022 World Cup final defeat, suggesting that France's shortfall in penalty shootouts cannot be bridged by mere training.
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He pointed to Argentina's calm demeanour in penalty situations, crediting their composure to their rich history of penalty shootout encounters in recent tournaments.
"You have to go through this kind of ordeal to be better. If Argentina appeared so calm in this exercise it is because it had previously won a semi-final of the Copa America 2021 on penalties against Colombia, then a quarter-final against the Netherlands. But they had lost two Copa America finals in 2015 and 2016 after penalties", as reported by Get Football.
Lloris highlighted a critical difference between French and Argentine players, emphasizing the lack of penalty-taking experience among the French squad at the club level, with Kylian Mbappé being the notable exception.
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"When the Argentinians show up, there are guys who take penalties at club level. With us none, apart from Kylian Mbappé. Experience is gained through defeats.
"I am convinced if tomorrow the opportunity arises for Kingsley Coman or Aurélien Tchouaméni, they will have this experience. It’s not a trauma, just an experience."
The Psychological Battle of Penalties
The conversation took a deeper dive into the psychological aspects of taking penalties. Lloris confessed his challenges with penalty shootouts, contrasting his approach with that of Emiliano Martínez, who views penalties as a psychological game.
"I haven’t been very successful in my career in this aspect even though I have stopped important penalties. When you discuss it with Emiliano Martínez, for him it’s a game, psychological. I do not know how to do it. But that doesn’t mean he won all his penalty shootouts."
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