While the 1-0 defeat to Belgium has put a dampener on the mood around England, it mustn't be forgotten that the Three Lions still have an excellent chance of glory in Russia.

A much better chance than they started with at least, their hopes practically written off before the World Cup even began, with such an inexperienced squad.

And while they failed to top their group for the third consecutive World Cup, Gareth Southgate's men have progressed with a fairly favourable route to the semi-finals.

If they can beat Colombia they face the prospect of either Sweden or Switzerland to reach the final four, and that is something they could only have dreamed of.

However, no team has really stood out so far with the exception of Croatia and maybe Belgium, so England should fear no team as they advance through the tournament.

What is to be feared though, are the dreaded penalty shoot-outs which are once again on the agenda.

Their record in them is more than well-documented, with the men's senior team losing six consecutively since beating Spain in 1996, and no other international team has a worse record in shoot-outs.

Southgate famously missed his spot kick against Germany at Euro 96, and is keen to ensure his team now don't suffer the same fate.

To combat those demons, they've come up with a potentially brilliant plan, commissioned by FA technical director Dan Ashworth, and they will look like geniuses if England do win a match via penalties.

The Telegraph have reported that the the players underwent psychometric testing to help select who would take the penalties, and this happened at St George’s Park prior to the squad heading to Russia.

They've also concluded that the England players take their kicks quicker than anyone else and need to slow down, so as a result, the players walk slowly from the half-way line in training.

A list was also penned in terms of who would be keen to take a spot kick, and they were ranked from one to 23, though it depends on whether they are on the pitch and in good condition.

Also, the FA are using games to try and replicate pressure at the team hotel, like when the England Under-21s had a golf putting competition, splitting into teams and heckling and jeering their opponents.

It's good to see that they're trying interesting methods other than just repetitive spot kicks this time around, and the players will undoubtedly have responded well to the new ideas.

Hopefully it won't come to penalties, but if it does, we can all be assured that the England players are more prepared than ever before.