Right, I'm posting this in here so that some of you who are absolutely OBSESSED in saying we are playing with 2 DM's.
As I attempted to engage with some of you during the game WE ARE NOT PLAYING WITH TWO DM'S!!! (this might change against better oppo or we are managing out a game which we are leading, either way, this hasn't happen in our two previous games to last night, although we deployed them differently in those games than the one last night. prior to last nights game, Phillips was playing as an 8 which left Rice playing as a 6 at no point in any of the games have we played a double pivot!).
So, please don't take it from me, a random on a forum. Have a read of this, understand that the bit of paper that names the team and sets them up in a formation of 4-2-3-1 has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on how the players take to the shape and formations during the actual game.
During the next game (any game) just watch what the actual player are doing, where they are and what positions they take up before screaming at the moon about two DM's etc...
Cox: This was a different England. Southgate’s willingness to adapt will be vital in knockout stages
By
Michael Cox 13m ago
1
There were two major positives from England’s 1-0 victory over the Czech Republic on Tuesday evening.
First, and most obviously,
England recorded the result that confirmed their position as group winners.
Second, and more pertinently in terms of England’s overall objective at
Euro 2020, there were signs that England are happier against opponents who try to engage high up the pitch. Jaroslav Silhavy’s side tried to press aggressively in England’s half but rarely won the ball in advanced positions, and they often left space for England to break into.
England adjusted their shape for this game in a couple of ways. Although 4-2-3-1 on paper, England were evidently keen to form a three-man defence in possession to pass around a Czech side that often pressed with a front two.
The precise construction of this three-man defence varied. In the first minute, it was Kyle Walker shuffling inside from right-back alongside John Stones and Harry Maguire…
…later in the same move, Walker has pushed up the touchline, so Kalvin Phillips drops in as a right-sided centre-back…
…and, six minutes in, Declan Rice drops between the centre-backs. The three-man build-up helped England play forward, and the rotation of players dropping back kept the Czechs guessing.
Rotation was a factor further forward, as well, where England’s attacking trio of Bukayo Saka, Jack Grealish and Raheem Sterling continually swapped positions. Saka was most regularly on the right, with the other two switching positions between the left and the central role behind Harry Kane.
At times, however, all three are located in central positions, with the width provided by the full-backs.
Here, meanwhile, is an example of England bringing the ball forward from the back with their three-man build-up. In this example, Sterling and Grealish make eye contact and decide to switch positions to drag around the Czech defenders who were, at times, almost man-marking them.
That understanding between attackers, and the determination to drag defenders out of position, contributed to one of England’s best chances.
Here, as Maguire brings the ball out of defence, Grealish checks over his shoulder, realises right-sided centre-back Ondrej Celustka is marking him and sees Kane is in a position to run into the space created. Grealish, therefore, makes a decoy run towards the ball, Kane peels off into the channel, and Maguire slips him in.
It was certainly a fine ball from Maguire, but Grealish’s movement opened the passing lane intelligently, to make the pass relatively simple for a player of Maguire’s calibre.
Balls in behind the opposition defence were a regular theme of England’s play — they simply had more space in that area than they’d been afforded in other matches. Sterling lobbed against the post from Luke Shaw’s early ball in behind…
…and Shaw himself was also notably advanced, particularly compared to England’s first two matches, when the full-backs were ordered to remain deep. This move actually ended with Shaw being flagged offside, a particularly stark demonstration of how high the full-backs were pushing.
If that was a sign of Maguire and Shaw’s understanding down the left from Manchester United, Stones’ good ball out to Walker on the opposite side suggested the Manchester City connection on the opposite side was also strong.
And Kane, quiet in his first two matches, was more involved here. This ball out to Saka showed what he wants to do when England are building up play, and overall he played 32 passes — significantly more than he played against Croatia (16) and Scotland (11), even accounting for the fact he was substituted in those games.
Saka, meanwhile, was the most surprising name on the teamsheet but England’s brightest player, particularly with his ability to receive the ball in deep positions, turn and then carry the ball aggressively into attack, as seen in the build-up to England’s goal.
Once again, this wouldn’t have been quite so valuable against Croatia and Scotland sides sitting deep, but with England being afforded more space to break into, and more capable of playing on the transition, Saka was an inspired choice.
The next question, then, is what Southgate sees in this performance that he’ll want to implement in the knockout stage.
In defence, Maguire performed solidly and seems likely to keep his place. Walker and Shaw played very different roles, the latter significantly more attack-minded in his positioning, but both enjoyed good matches, and the possibility of keeping those club partnerships on either side of the defence may appeal to Southgate.
Rice and Phillips dropping into defence also worked well. That is a tactic that England are also likely to deploy in the knockout games, when they’ll probably be under more pressure as they build from the back.
Further forward,
the big winner was Saka, who doesn’t merely offer an ability to drive forward in possession, but also offers great versatility and is capable of playing as a wing-back, a wide midfielder or even a central midfielder. That might prove crucial in the second round, when Southgate might be inclined to change his system — particularly if England face Germany’s 3-4-3.
And overall, this was a demonstration of England’s tactical adaptability. Compared to the opening two matches, the centre-backs carried the ball more ambitiously, the full-backs overlapped more energetically, the attackers rotated their positions more, and Kane was significantly more involved. The opponents get significantly more fearsome from here, but perhaps that will suit England’s approach.