One of the myriad challenges for England coaches is that there are millions of people who believe they can do better. These ambitious coaches claim that by putting them in charge, the Three Lions’ attacking talent will be unleashed to devastating effect. The plan usually amounts to: “Run at them.”
As we’ve seen in recent weeks, big international events are actually a bit more complicated. Those who now question Gareth Southgate’s ability might consider the pre-match narrative, which effectively amounted to: “Who will England play in the final?” In that sense, he has clearly come into his own. Successful victim. But the England manager has faced legitimate criticism at times. His decisions are subject to endless scrutiny, and although they are based on a variety of factors, unseen information drawn from behind the scenes, and detailed analytical data, there are some trends that are clear to the more casual viewer or amateur coach. What can we learn by refreshing our memories and reliving the team’s performances in three major matches: against Croatia in 2018, Italy in 2021 and France in 2022?
Croatia vs England, 2018 World Cup Semi-finals
Croatia (4-5-1) England (3-5-2)
Firstly, the 3-5-2 formation promoted by England is misleading. On paper, playing with full-backs is a positive, but in practice England use a 5-3-2 more often: a back five with Croatia in possession, which leads to a higher percentage of possession than England (56%) to 44%). On the hour, that eliminated the threat of Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Co., while Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane gave Zlako Dalí Odd’s team caused trouble. But England’s early goal by Kieran Trippier came from a speculative long ball and they never dominated possession or territory: the plan was to contain and counter-attack.
After losing 2-1 in extra time, Southgate was criticized for insisting on playing with two strikers when England were outnumbered in midfield. But facing players like Modric and Rakitic, it would be too simple to say that swapping a forward for a midfielder can regain control of the game. What was clear was that the influence of the starting midfielders – Jordan Henderson, Jesse Lingard and Dele Alli – was severely diminished after half-time.
A worrying space emerged. In the 65th minute, Modric was allowed to turn and run at the England center back for the first time. Although Henderson, Lingard and Dele were shouldering a heavy workload against Croatia’s midfield five, Southgate’s first substitution in the area came in the 97th minute , Eric Dier replaced the tired Henderson (Marcus Rashford and Danny Rose were already available). Diehl’s freshness had an immediate effect.
Dalic didn’t make a substitution until five minutes into extra time, and even then his hand was still forced due to an injury to Ivan Strinic. This illustrates the most unexpected aspect of this match: Croatia, who played 120 minutes in each of their first two knockout games, are older on average, but they look fitter and more energetic as time passes. , they seem to be getting stronger and stronger.
Did England’s fifth-minute opener put them off, or were Croatia simply in better form? Apart from bringing reinforcements from the bench, Southgate can’t really do much on the touchline. The energy of Kane, England’s creative lynchpin, evaporated along with the energy of the starting midfield trio.
We don’t know if England’s early substitutions or change of formation would have produced a better result. For all the qualities of a captain, replacing the tired Kane with Sterling seems like a positive move. If Ruben Loftus-Cheek deserves a spot on the bench, why not allow him to breathe life into a struggling midfield?
Euro 2020 final Italy vs England
Italy (4-3-3) England (3-4-2-1)
Once extra time began, England’s problem seemed simple. Roberto Mancini brought in five substitutes while England made two substitutions, bringing on Bukayo Saka and Henderson for Trippier and Declan Rice. Brian Cristante, Domenico Berardi, Federico Bernardeschi, Andrea Belotti and Manuel Locatelli are all extremely fast runners midfielder/forward, they play a decisive role.
The unfussy Cristante was the most influential player in the 54th minute, making two substitutions with Berardi. he won the flick Azzurri His every move said it all when he equalized in the 67th minute – urging England into possession or stretching their defense with direct runs. In the 120th minute, he once again got a corner kick and headed the near post, but the ball went wide.
Southgate will argue that he does not like the same squad depth and therefore similar substitutions are not possible. But in overtime, Kane looked so tired that he could barely run. His symbolic attempts to pressure the defenders meant they could easily pass the ball to Marco Verratti and Jorginho in midfield. Italy’s new arrivals ensured England did not have such luxury of time on the ball, while Southgate’s decision to withdraw Rice rather than Kalvin Phillips was a curious one. Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham remains on the bench.
A deeper game arguably means substitutions become more important in the later rounds as physical and mental fatigue increases. Last year, Mancini explained his liberal use of substitutes in an interview with uefa.com. “It’s important for everyone because the players are coming off an exhausting season,” he said. “The players who come off the bench know what to do… when a tired player comes off, a fresh player comes in and is eager to improve the team.”
While it might be difficult to sacrifice many of Kane’s qualities in the game, including his penalty-kick ability before the shootout, bringing on Dominic Calvert-Lewin for the second half will certainly give Mancini something to think about. The physical damage done to Kane through muscle treatment by Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci may also be considered. How long can we tolerate a tired Kane and only focus on penalties? In the 94th minute, Saka’s pace isolated Chiellini and caused a cynical foul, prompting a thousand emojis. As the war of attrition continues, should Italy’s aging centre-backs be exposed to the fast pace more often?
2022 World Cup quarter-finals, France vs. England
France (4-2-3-1) England (4-3-3)
Of the three major defeats under Southgate, this was certainly the most energetic and positive performance. The excellent Saka was a constant threat, while some questionable refereeing meant France often got away with it, particularly when the Arsenal winger fired in France’s counterattack and set up Aurelien Tsouameny for the opener When he was roughed up by Dayot Upamecano.
blues It started strong, but Kane’s playmaking was key as England entered the game and they ended up with 58% possession and eight shots on goal to France’s five. Southgate’s side adopted a 4-3-3 formation, with the defense more open than it was against Croatia four years ago. But that’s only a good thing if Saka, Bellingham and Phil Foden can step up. In just 90 minutes, England had more shots on goal than in extra-time against Croatia and Italy combined.
It was a narrow game and Kane missed a late penalty, resulting in an inexplicable 2-1 defeat. Southgate made four substitutions, bringing on Didier Deschamps, although Jack Grealish’s introduction in the 98th minute must have come too late.
England were just one penalty away from extra time with the world champions. England searched in vain for that difficult second goal against Croatia and Italy, both games seemingly being allowed to drift. It’s fair to say expectations for the starting line-up were too high, especially at Wembley Azzurri.
But England’s positive attitude towards France meant they left Qatar with no regrets. Will Southgate fully trust his replacements in the knockout stages of Germany? “We have a squad and we need to use it,” Southgate said after the opening win over Serbia, so the signs are good. If in doubt, run towards them.
