A sports psychologist has discovered a genius plan of Arsenal in the victory over Man City in the penalty shootout in the English Super Cup last night.
Arsenal drew Man City 1-1 in the official 90 minutes in the English Super Cup match, forcing the two teams to pull each other into a penalty shootout. Here, the Gunners successfully made all 4 results, while Man City only had 1.
Norwegian sports psychologist Geir Jordet analyzed one key aspect of Arsenal’s success in the penalty shootout. Accordingly, he discovered that before each penalty, Arsenal’s players responsible for shooting stopped more than 5 seconds after the referee blew the whistle.
Geir Jordet wrote on his personal Twitter: “It is rare to see a team approach penalties with the same caution, control and composure as Arsenal did in today’s Super Cup.
Every player stops more than 5 seconds after the whistle. This never guarantees success, but it does suggest a collective plan for proactive self-control under stress.”
This technique has certainly made the difference for Arsenal, with Martin Odegaard, Leandro Trossard, Bukayo Saka and Fabio Vieira all performing brilliantly. Coach Mikel Arteta himself also explained another plan was devised in the interview after the game.
“We were involved in the penalty shoot-out three times on the tour last summer. It was part of our preparedness plan in case we had to do it today. It’s not the first time. Arsenal had to take a penalty shootout and I think it paid off,” Arteta said.