Millie Bright is Chelsea’s penalty-takers. Before a Premier League game last season she could see one player after another walking by, stressing about whether or not they had a penalty.
“It kind of got you a bit down,” said Bright, a defender. “It’s the biggest stage. When you make the decision to do it, you want that tension – that excitement, the nerves. It’s going to be a bit spicy.”
This week she has been preparing for the possibility of scoring the most dramatic goal of the summer by imitating Diego Costa, Dele Alli and Harry Kane. It’s not the traditional method of going over penalty kicks with a ball, but Bright likes to get out on the ground and pretend the shots are coming from upstairs.
“It’s so funny,” she said. “It kind of turns your brain to half-steam and it makes you feel like you’re in charge of a small house.”
But if Bright does have to do it, will she decide this one is going to be like a cup final?
“I kind of like it more when it’s simple,” she said. “You kind of want to throw your arms up and run in hysterics. But I think this time it’s going to be more about celebrating.”