Taking an early lead, England hoped to put an understrength Poland to bed. But the guests battled hard in their 5-3-2 shape and took their chances when they came to force a late winner and a narrow result out of their hosts. Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere. Amid all the baggage that […]
England’s matchup against Belgium was a critical one if the away team were to stand a chance of finishing first in a three-horse race for the top spot. However, Belgium managed to race into a commanding position, against the run of play, before holding onto the lead in their 5-4-1 shape. Tactical analysis by Emmanuel […]
After sealing the victory against Belgium on the weekend, England seemed in a prime position to take momentum into their game with Denmark. But after an even start with signs of promise, five minutes saw England lose control and battle to hold onto a slim loss. Tactical analysis by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere. Recent England games have […]
A first match-up between 2018’s World Cup semi-finalists should have revealed how far these teams have progressed, now that both managers have had more time in their respective roles. Instead, England and Belgium looked far from completing such a feat, as they both showed glaring issues in their passing structures, shot creation and in-game management. […]
Gareth Southgate made the decision to experiment with a 3-4-3 system for this match against Denmark. However, England ran into problems as they struggled to outplay Denmark’s pressing and were lacking in creativity from central midfield. Tactical analysis and match report by Josh Manley. Denmark started this Nations League campaign with a defeat against Belgium on […]
The matchup between Iceland and England primarily ended up in the home team’s half of the pitch. But from their resolute 4-4-2 defensive shape, the hosts limited their opportunities to few chances despite their control of the ball. However, England pulled through in the final moments, surviving a late scare to seal a successful start […]
After early goals for both teams in the opening minutes, England struggled in buildup play against Czech Republic’s man-oriented pressing. In the second half, Gareth Southgate changed to a more familiar system, which helped England gain slightly more control. However it was not enough to secure a result, as the Czech Republic scored a late […]
The Bulgarian resistance seemed a worthy match for England’s slower approach, which looked to gradually chip away at them. We might even have had a tighter finish on our hands, irrespective of the result, had it not been for the visitors laying it all out on a plate for the hosts. Tactical analysis and match […]
This Nations League semi-final proved to be a bad advert for playing out from the back, as center-back errors from both sides defined the scoreline. However, while Matthijs de Ligt’s error looked pretty much as a one off within an overall successful buildup by Netherlands, John Stones’ errors were representative of England’s problems throughout the […]
Gareth Southgate’s England continued their good form with an impressive victory at Wembley Stadium to kick start their qualifying campaign for the European Championships. Dominance in possession, impressive runs from wingers and fast breaks forward would break down an inferior but well-organised Czech Republic – for a good hour at least. Tactical analysis and match […]