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There were shaking fists, beaming smiles and back slaps at the final whistle, but there was also a question: can England become European champions playing this way?
Gareth Southgate has made his decision: 3-4-3 is the style that England will be looking to perfect en route to next summer’s tournament, as he believes the formation gives them the most options in the event of injury. He also insists that he solidifies his team.
But there was something about the line-up in the 2-1 win against Belgium that left you wondering if it could work in the long run, despite the magnificent result.
Is it sustainable for the England manager to continue working with players in positions where they don’t play for their clubs? Sportsmail analyzes equipment from square pegs into round holes.
IMPROVISING
The idea of playing two wingers but giving them the license to fly forward is solid. However, putting it into practice is more difficult.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has the ability to direct games from Liverpool’s right back. His passing is beautiful, he knows when to move forward and when to stay behind, and he also has Mohamed Salah as a high-class decoy to help him.
However, if you push it back, the change is marked. Instead of running for the balls, Alexander-Arnold puts the game together in a different way and one wonders if Southgate is convinced he’s the man to start for his team. “You may have to dribble people or do a skill, and that’s not Trent’s game,” observed Sportsmail’s Micah Richards. “As good as he’s moving forward, overlapping, great center, great technique, when do you dribble someone and do a beautiful skill?”
Southgate is a huge fan of Kieran Trippier and perhaps the way forward is with Atletico Madrid defending on one flank and Ben Chilwell zooming in on the left, to provide a natural balance.
TOO MUCH PROTECTION?
Southgate said before the friendly with Wales last week that a clean sheet will win a tournament. And France conquered the world in 2018, mainly, with stubbornness. The best teams do not concede chances, much less goals.
When you look at the team against Belgium, they were cautious. Three central defenders, two defensive players on the flanks and then Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson and West Ham’s Declan Rice in midfield. It was no surprise that they could withstand the siege of Belgium.
“When I come here I have to adjust to the way Gareth wants to play,” Rice said. “I always need to improve, building from behind, offering myself off the ball, little angles off the ball to play rebound passes. There are definitely things I need to work on. ‘
To delve into the tournament, there has to be imagination in between. Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford or Jadon Sancho cannot be left to provide the electricity; the supply line must be slippery, so is there another chance for Jack Grealish?
BALANCE IT
The convention says that two right-handed central defenders can work as a couple, but two left-handed players never consolidate. When you have three in the back, it is imperative that the left side have someone who is naturally left-handed. Eric Dier, from what we’ve seen this season, is not that man. Tyrone Mings, who seems tailor-made for the role, watched Belgium win from the stands.
Southgate knows there is a long way to go, but despite all the puzzles, he can see progress.
“We played against an exceptional team with the best people and a great collective mindset,” said Southgate. “We had to be close to perfect without the ball to get through it and we were in the second half, not the first half.
“So we are not saying there is no room for improvement, but they should have an idea of what could be possible as a group in the coming years because there is a lot of youth in the team. That doesn’t mean they don’t have a lot of work to do. We have.’
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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