Relying on the offensive storm in the middle of the game, England beat Senegal to reach the quarterfinals of the Qatar World Cup. Based on the consideration of strengthening defense, Southgate followed the 433 formation at the end of the group stage, and handed the offensive speed-up key to Kane. The British head card did not live up to its mission, and the three Lions showed extraordinary tactical control in the process of changing the tempo. The play of the winger led by pseudo-Nine will become their reliance against the defending champion.
[the four-guard structure derives two sets of games, which is conservative and reasonable in the knockout stage]
In the absence of Manet to reach the last 16, Senegal’s success is to focus on “both ends”: Koulibaly and Sabaly may be one of the best defenders in the group stage. Diallo can constantly adjust his position and style of play as needed; Diya and Sal in the frontcourt are explosive, and the standby Didiu can rely on height and confrontation to bring variation. The attack force of the opponent is very strong, Southgate did not line up four front-court attackers (4231) as he did in the big victory over Iran, but adopted a relatively conservative formation.
There is a problem with 4231 defensive coverage. The 433 formation passed the stress test at the end of the group game, and Southgate hopes Bellingham will become a bridge between the two formations.
With the fad of three centre-backs at the club level, Southgate gradually abandoned the three-centre-back structure and built a formation around the four-back defence so that the players could dock seamlessly when they came to the national team. In the previous world preliminaries and Europa League matches, Southgate tried a variety of wing combinations, the basic idea is to pursue the technical complementarity between the frontcourt trio. In the group stage, both Mundt and Fowden have the experience of starting, the latter can swing between the flank and the middle, have a strong ability to grab points and insert back, and have a prominent “shadow forward” attribute, which is more suitable to partner with Kane in the 433 formation.
[the third midfielder can’t guarantee the ball, and the offensive operation depends on Kane]
Tall players in the middle and backcourt gather together, lack of ability to get rid of their feet in the back, and there are structural defects in England’s play, which has been exposed in the earlier Europa League match. Southgate could not find a solution to the problem and could only seek a breakthrough by changing the formation structure. From 4231 to 433, the center of gravity of the formation moved back, there was an extra pick-up point in front of the defence, and the wingers on both wings could pull back to pick up the ball as well as the long pass behind.
Senegal adopted the strategy of strangling in midfield to limit the opponent’s serve with man-to-man defense, and the problem of tall players in England’s midfield and backcourt (flexibility and lack of ability to get rid of it) was exposed.
In the face of England’s “three centre-backs” + three midfield structure, Senegal adopted a man-to-man defense strategy, restricting Henderson and others from catching the ball, blocking Luke Shaw’s path and cutting off the connection between Rice and her former teammates. Bellingham’s advantage lies in convergence and forward insertion, rather than “washing the ball” in the backcourt. Saka lacks the absolute speed and explosive power to get rid of defenders, and England can neither find a way forward on the ground nor attack through a long pass.
The Senegalese midfielder is not resolute enough to restrain Kane, as the British head card can come to a deep position as a dealer or pull a wall to push the attack. When Kane pulled back to get the ball, the tall Bellingham inserted into the center position to complete the rotation.
Southgate had hoped that the 433 formation would switch to 4231 in attack, with Bellingham at the front and Kane at the top of the formation to grab points to avoid being killed in the frequent pullback. When he found that his teammates could not break through Senegal’s man-to-man defense, Kane decisively withdrew the midfield to “take over” the game.
When the opponent (the United States & Senegal) is strong, Kane will frequently come to the middle and backcourt to get the ball to ensure the smooth flow of the transport line.
There is Kane in the front court, which is good at “pull out and fight back” offensive fulcrum. England does not need to solve the problem of offensive organization through the middle and front court, but only needs to patiently spread the offensive fan around the axis to tear through the opponent’s line of defense.
Pull it out and fight back, and Kane broke the ball shortage with the help of his teammates.
In order to save Kane’s physical strength and avoid injuries caused by overwork, Southgate tacitly allowed the British top card to “relax” in the game, and the three Lions sometimes slowed down the pace of attack or periodically cut into counter-defense. When Kane rarely touched the ball at the beginning of the first half when he faced Germany in the fourth final of last year’s European Cup, Kane immediately expanded the playing area and took the initiative to withdraw for the ball, leading the three Lions to a sharp counterattack. This game in the face of Senegal, Kane once again adopted the “first suppression and then Yang” style of play, and achieved good results.
[supernovae can do a lot of work, and there are “four strikers” in front of the third midfield.
England’s efficiency on the offensive end depends on Kane’s vision and overall vision, while the protection of the defensive end depends on Walker’s sweep and judgment. The “centre-back” with both speed and confrontational ability is the underdog of the high line of defense. Walker was sidelined for more than two months due to a groin injury, and Walker took time to get back to his best during a trip to Qatar, which was understandably difficult at first against Senegal’s man-to-man defense.
Ben White could also have served as a right centre-back to support the “three-and-a-half” defender, and his absence caused deep damage to the three Lions defence line. Walker needs to find his form as soon as possible to cope with the impact of Mbappe.
In the 4231 architecture, the position of the front waist in the backcourt can be called a difficult problem. The tall backers Rice and Bellingham need to cover a large area and are easily surrounded by skilled opponents. Southgate can only ask the two wingers to actively return to defense, protect the side of the centre-forward and maintain the rigor of the two fronts. After adopting the 433 formation, the antagonistic ability of England in the middle and backcourt has been further enhanced, and the coverage and protection of the flank have also been guaranteed. Bellingham can rely on his strong round-trip ability to strike and defend both offensively and defensively (switching to 4231 when attacking). Southgate’s change of array is not at the expense of offensive investment.
The 4231 formation weakens the defense, the 433 formation can accommodate the “three centre-backs” and the third waist, and the tough backcourt components can support the winger relay.
During the Europa League period (a disastrous defeat to Hungary), England’s 433 formation was not discouraged and Southgate did not lose heart. He still dared to use three midfielders in the World Cup, and this persistence finally achieved success. the boost to players’ confidence from achieving zero goals in three games in a row is immeasurable. Then in the face of France, which has a strong ability to attack on the flank, the 433 formation is still Southgate’s first choice.
[a set of play goes to the end, and the depth of the lineup remains to be released]
With the landing of the five-change system, the tactical adjustment in the middle of the game becomes more and more important. Each team should not only have the ability to continue the established style of play, but also prepare distinctive players to change the rhythm. In the process of reaching the European Cup final, Southgate’s on-the-spot adjustment is not many bright spots. After taking the lead by a big score, he did not replace the physically exhausting Condoleezza Rice and Kane, and the operation is slightly conservative.
Southgate is committed to promoting the winger relay and does not pay enough attention to the value of the backup center. In the past, Karl Walt Lewin (Euro 2020) and Ivan Toni (2022 European League) had few opportunities, and Karen Wilson, who went out with the team, got a lot of attention. In the group stage, Karen Wilson played in “garbage time”, but his playing style and positioning are not very clear, and it is reasonable that he did not get the chance after entering the knockout stage.
Drawing inspiration from the Premier League championships, Southgate’s work gets twice the result with half the effort, mature England has entered the harvest period, and it is not an extravagant desire to beat the defending champion whose backcourt structure is unstable.
[conclusion]
Having laid a good foundation during youth training, after coming to the fore, he was able to “raise the ball” at the suggestion of a famous coach from the mainland. the new generation of three-lion international players are generally precocious, and their ability to master a variety of tactics is significantly better than that of their predecessors. Southgate is caught up in the happiness of a talent blowout and only needs to focus on “top-level design”. After losing the European Cup final and paying the price of six games in the Europa League, Southgate clearly defined the strategy of relying on the four-back formation to play attacking football. In the face of France, which is full of momentum on both wings, but is still in a “loose” state in the backcourt, Southgate’s team can play a game.
(cat’s eyes watch the ball)