How England can win the Euros – Tactical Analysis

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Every couple of years, debate rages through the U.K. about whether England can do what hasn’t been done in years. 58 years to be exact. It’s been 58 years since their infamous World Cup win in 1966, and Gareth Southgate‘s job is under more fire than ever. The England manager has achieved great results in all three of his competitions, yet with pressures mounting, Euro 2024 could be his last dance as the Three Lions boss.

Having lost 3 in 4 warmup fixtures, England are in poor form. But where are they struggling to succeed and what could limit them in the upcoming European Championships? We begin with a look at their tempo.

In possession tempo

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England can be notoriously slow. International games can be boring affairs, but for the excess in talent that the Three Lions currently possess, there often feels like a lack of urgency within their play. Patience is imperative. However, when trying to carve through low blocks, which the majority of their group stage will involve, an element of speed and precision is required.

If you’re slow, the opposition can shift across and cover the space easily. Speed it up and suddenly the spaces appear larger, fragility emerges amongst the opposition, and chances can be created from between the lines.

In their final warmup game against Iceland, England failed to do this. Was it a lack of cohesion between the players, no real desire because it was a friendly? The wrong personnel? Quite possibly – all three.

The first will be fixed with more minutes on the pitch, and the second should become irrelevant once the Euros begin. But the third is what we shall investigate.

Unless fitness becomes a problem, Pickford, Stones, Rice, Bellingham, Foden, Saka and Kane pick themselves. That leaves four spots.

As mentioned, you want your best players on the pitch. But you need them in unison. If they can’t work together or combine to form all the necessary characteristics of a complete side, failure is inevitable. It also becomes that much harder to dictate the sway of the game and manage it in your favour, whatever the scoreline.

For example, possessing lots of elite attacking midfielders that can find space deep in opposition territory would be no use if they had no-one progressing the ball into them. You can have as many Jude Bellingham‘s, Phil Foden‘s and Cole Palmer’s as you like. But without the necessary base behind them, their talent will be limited and the team’s control stifled.

All three players require freedom to express themselves in central areas. But for England, these areas are condense enough given the narrow setup of inferior opposition. As such, games become difficult to dictate because you cannot get your elite players touches of the ball.

Ideally, you start players that can supplement Bellingham and Foden better. That’s why a more controlled presence of Adam Wharton could strengthen the midfield. The Palace midfielder’s decision making, space perception and composure makes him the most reliable fit besides Rice, in terms of managing games. Additionally, he can provide astute progressive passes that feed England’s deadly forwards.

Quite quickly, you’ve built a strong box midfield involving Rice, Wharton, Bellingham and Foden. But by playing all four, England must still find a way to stretch the play horizontally for these players to work.

Creating width

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Another significant issue right now is being able to create width. Against compact teams, it is essential. The opposition will most likely stay narrow to limit central progression. This means Southgate’s side must find a way to not only exploit the space out wide, but to draw defenders out and allow the space for Bellingham and Foden to shine inside.

When you skim the whole squad, Luke Shaw (the only left-back) and Anthony Gordon offer the only true options for left-sided width. And given Shaw’s fitness issues, there’s no guarantee of a start for either. Suddenly, you have a problem. There are lots of central and half-space players without anyone to create the space for them.

The lack of width on the left makes the decision to play Saka on the right, easy. He can play inside or outside, take on his man, combine with his supporting full back and presses magnificently. But ultimately, the Arsenal winger can stretch the play as well. He is crucial to Foden’s and Bellingham’s output in the middle of the pitch.

Giving Trent Alexander-Arnold the freedom down that side as well, would create a devastating right half of the pitch. The right back’s passing has such a vast repertoire. In better words, his range of ability makes him unpredictable. It also allows him to play through a press with precise 50-yard hauls that others simply cannot replicate.

He’s another player that likes to float inwards to express his technical strengths, but has a history of overlapping out wide and would be a more dangerous crosser than Kyle Walker. The scouser is necessary in a team so lacking of maximum width on the opposite flank.

Defensive frailties

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England have to build a strong base to account for Alexander-Arnold’s defensive downside (albeit it’s not as weak as many suggest). We’ve already noted how Stones, Rice and Wharton should be starters in what needs to be a strong rest-defence. Tournament football is so frantic that having a seamless defensive structure can take you further than offensive talents.

If we are accounting for Shaw’s current injury concerns then Joe Gomez should take the step forward. Not only is he a composed figure in possession, and able to cover a variety of positions but his defensive acumen can balance out his club teammate’s lack thereof.

No doubt playing Gomez at left-back and Alexander-Arnold right-back will influence where and how teams attack England. If Trent is more advanced, the space behind him will be large and therefore, exploitable. This calls for Ezri Konsa to clean up. He’s very mobile and maintains his composure well during wide 1v1s. Much of this season, he’s played as Unai Emery’s full back, highlighting his confidence defending wide.

Throughout the group stage though, England are up against tall centre forwards in all three fixtures; Aleksandar Mitrović, Dušan Vlahović, Jonas Wind, Rasmus Højlund and Benjamin Šeško. All of which are 1.89m or taller. Lewis Dunk is England’s only defender to top that, which could also call for his expertise alongside Stones.

But the strong base is not England’s only defensive concern. Their pressing has looked exploitable. Particularly, involving their timing to step up onto the player they are marking. The lack of intensity means they are late and gaps are infiltrated by opposition. Teams exploit these gaps when competition is fierce so it’s something to be weary of.

Transitions are similar, with the counter-press often lacking. When they don’t regain possession, Rice becomes quite isolated and teams waltz through the middle. Perhaps, Saka, Bellingham, Alexander-Arnold and Wharton can shore up these issues given their added intensity in these situations.

So, there we have it! If England want to win this tournament, the defensive structure must improve, they need more speed and purpose when they have the ball and stretching the play wider to create space for their star midfielders will be crucial. Do all that, and football may finally come home.

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Thanks to Charlie Ellis for this wonderful piece! Be sure to continue following his work on social media @C3llis8. Thanks for reading and see you soon.

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