Carrick ready for spot-kick duty

Carrick: Spot on

England international Michael Carrick insists he is ready to step up to the plate if required to take a penalty in this summer's World Cup finals.

The dreaded penalty shoot-out is frequently the scourge of The Three Lions' chances of lifting football's most treasured trophy.

In three of the last four finals that England have qualified for they have ended up being eliminated courtesy of penalty heartache.

In Italia '90 England lost to arch-rivals West Germany before missing out eight years later to Argentina and in Germany 2006 they were again upset by Portugal.

Carrick knows all about the pressures of dispatching a crucial penalty having found the back of the net in Manchester United's 2008 UEFA Champions League final against Chelsea.

The former Spurs and West Ham midfielder has no qualms with putting his name forward to Fabio Capello as he has a settled routine that helps cope with the pressures and weight of expectation of a nation.

Positive

"I'd take one for England in a shoot-out," he said. "That one against Chelsea wasn't a nice feeling.

"You have to trust your technique, but I was just hoping the keeper dived the other way and it went in, which it did.

"When it was my turn I jogged up to the ball so I didn't have as much time for any negative thoughts to enter my head.

"Once I was there I was pretty positive. You tell yourself you've done it so many times in training, so just do it again.

"But it's hard to practice for that kind of pressure situation. Until you're actually in that situation, and you know that if you miss, you're out, you can't prepare yourself."