GARETH Southgate had an extra year to devise his masterplan for England’s first game of Euro 2020 and it showed in the team he picked to face Croatia on Sunday. Almost every fan and pundit had their say on who should play, and who shouldn’t, in the build-up to the tournament, but few predicted the actual XI.
Most eye-catching was Southgate’s decision to start Kieran Trippier at left back despite having never played there for England before. There was also discussion around the omission of Jack Grealish while the sight of Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice in the same midfield hinted at a more protective central unit than most had foreseen.
If Southgate’s plan was to nullify Croatia, the team that knocked England out of the semi finals of the 2018 World Cup, it worked. Zlatko Dalic’s side offered little in terms of attacking threat. Phillips did an excellent job of breaking up opposition play and driving his team forward, like he did with the assist for Raheem Sterling’s winner.
Gareth Southgate on Kalvin Phillips:
️"Kalvin is a player who is so understated. He's had a fantastic start to his international career. I thought he was immense throughout the game." #ThreeLions | #ENGCRO | #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/zLcgJNQK4U
— Unibet (@unibet) June 13, 2021
Sterling was key to the way England found space in behind, something Grealish wouldn’t have done had he started. The decision to start Trippier over a natural left-sided defender didn’t pay off in the same way, such was England’s lack of an overlapping runner down that wing, but Tyrone Mings justified his selection by repelling all that came at him.
In many ways, this was the perfect start for England at Euro 2020. An emphatic win would have created national hysteria. This result and performance allowed England to get three points on the board and ease some of the tension and pressure on the team ahead of the next two group games against Scotland and Czech Republic.
England, however, will have to play better than this if they are to go all the way at Euro 2020. In hindsight, Southgate could have been more proactive with his game plan against Croatia, an opponent lacking in any real cutting edge. It was understandable that the England boss wanted to feel his way into the tournament, but once the dynamic of the match became apparent why didn’t he attempt to further impose that superiority with a tactical tweak? Did Phillips and Rice both need to play the full 90 minutes?
This isn’t to say that Southgate should abandon all defensive structure in the search of goals. The teams that win international tournaments tend to be those who keep things tight at the back and build from there. For this reason, Sunday likely won’t be the last time we see England use the midfield barrier of Phillips and Rice at Euro 2020.
Harry Kane's stats v. Croatia:
5 shots(4 on target)
2 chances created
5 aerial duels won
1 goal#ENGCRO #mufc #Kane #England #SpursNewStadium pic.twitter.com/Xc2G0hiQ8r— Farouq (@farouq155) November 18, 2018
But against higher calibre opponents in the latter rounds of the tournament, England will need to demonstrate more creativity and inventiveness. They’ll need to find a way to get more out of Harry Kane, who was largely anonymous in the win over Croatia. England will need impose their own game without worrying too much about the threat of their opponents.
Much has been made about the different mentality of this England squad. Rio Ferdinand, who experienced failure at past major tournaments, claims the “fearlessness” and “swagger” of this youthful, exuberant group marks them out from previous national sides that have failed to live up to expectations.
Signs of this were evident against Croatia. At no point did England appear out of control. Even with the scoreline at 1-0 in the closing stages, the customary panic that frequently afflicts England at major tournaments never arrived. This, however, must translate into attacking conviction further up the pitch when future tests demand it. Victory over Croatia was a good start for England, but that’s what it must be – a start.
