How to improve England. Suggestions please.

think Southgate is being massively under-estimated here - month long tournament - no team can maintain near perfection from start to finish.

Southgate playing a clever long game ??

England will qualify for the next stage - they can only get better - and saying this through gritted teeth! I wouldn't be surprised to see Kane lifting the winners trophy.

 

That's similar logic to that which I give my wife when I explosade after mere seconds.

Saving myself for the quarter finals onwards love.

 

Sack the clown.

 

Send Farage to Rwanda!

 

I’m not defending Southgate too much but I don’t think you can compare a club manager to a national team manager. Someone like Pep can train with his squad day after day for months so the system and structure becomes second nature to players. Same with all club managers. If they are then short of a player with a specific skill set they can just go out and buy someone from any part of the world.

At international level the coaches have a few sporadic weeks each year so you’ll never be able to replicate what happens at a club. The way to get round that is to play a similar style to the way clubs play and select as many players from those clubs as possible.

Southgate tried to develop an ‘England way’ that all age groups play (4-2-3-1) so players would be used to it. Unfortunately, hardly any club side plays 4-2-3-1 any more but Southgate is committed to sticking with it.

 

The team in both games looks devoid of any clear way of playing and clarity. I can’t honestly say how Southgate wants the team to play because different players of doing different things and the team selection is so confusing.

Firstly, playing a low block with two defensive minded fullbacks is fine (Trippier on the left and Walker) but you need pace and width up front and to move the ball quickly. In that system Foden can’t play wide left but instead someone like Gordon or Eze needs to be there (Saka is fine) so they can run in behind. See the Spain vs England game a few years back for how this can work with Kane up front. However, we don’t have that so instead you look clueless like last night.

At times we looked like we wanted to press high which if that’s the case everyone needs to step up 10-15 yards to squeeze the pitch and you need a central striker who will chase things down. Kane is not that player.

Foden, Bellingham and Saka up front could work but you need an attacking left back to push up to provide width which encourages Foden into the middle with Walker covering at the back to create a back 3 when attacking. However, you need someone other than Kane up front who can force the defence back and create space in the attacking central area for Foden and Bellingham. Trent can’t play in midfield either because he takes too long on the ball. Mainoo and Wharton would be ideal for that as they move and play the ball quicker. You also need Stones to move forward out of defence to force the midfield forward.

Southgate clearly prefers a rigid defensive structure and relies on individuals to create opportunities. That works to a point but you need flexibility as well. In his system however it means we only ever have 2 or 3 players in the box during an attack, often against 3 centre halves, 2 full backs and holding midfielders. It needs brilliance or luck to get a goal. Both our goals so far have come from lucky deflections. That will run out!

 

Stole my thunder there and totally my thoughts....very good appraisal of what we have and how to remedy the situation.

 

I think if we are being positive...the two games so far have exposed everything we needed to know.
Its time to change...I've been fortunate to watch a few games so far and the standard has been very good with the difference been how quick the better teams are in transition and how they apply the press....we do neither.
We have enough good players to do the above...it just needs a tactical / player tweak as "row z" suggests.
All our player are used to pressing in their domestic teams too.

 

Ask Haaland if he's sure about Norway?

 

And you stole my thunder too. The entire team looks like its a collection of individuals rather than a unit. There's no consistent fluidity and the team dont react as a unit, particularly when moving forward. Creativity is thus stifled and we end up with Kane dropping deeper and deeper till he's on the fringe of our own box as he doesn't know what else to do. The players look confused and unsure of roles, again when going forward. I'm not particularly concerned about the formation per se rather the inability of the manager to get the team playing as a unit whatever that formation is.
Southgate seems like a genuinely decent bloke, sticks up for his players and defends them in public and it looks like he creates a good bond. He therefore has some really good credentials for any managerial job. Unfortunately he's tactically and organisationally dreadful and its this last aspect which means ultimately he's very poor and has to be replaced by someone who knows how to organise a team on the grass. The FA must appoint someone who can organise, change things when needed and if they have loyalty, respect of players and can be diplomatic with the media as well that would be a bonus.

 

We seem to have gone back to the age old problem of playing our best 11 players to the detriment of the team, I'd like to see us go back to basics with a definite style of play and pick players to suit it, we could then play at a much higher tempo with the luxury of having quality on the bench to do like for like subs when players tire. At the moment none of our substitutions make much difference because the team/style of play isn't working.

 

Get Eddie howe in and stop trying not to lose rather than playing to win' play to our players strengths ' we have one of the best attacking teams in the world but southgate constantly sets up not to lose' we need to start putting games to bed instead of retreating into our shell when we take the lead.

 

Stop playing so deep, drop kane would be a start. Shearer was good yesterday said it how it was instead of blowing smoke up Southgates arse.

 

Disagree, the issue is you have Bellingham at 10, Foden dropping into the 10 slot and Kane dropping deep. Essentially 3 players occupying the same space, leaving options of intricate interchanges between the 3, passing to Saka who's double marked, or passing back. To compound matters, the fullbacks and Rice don't have license to attack and Trent isn't a midfielder.

It's lunacy to play Kane with two 10's behind him and having no one running behind and stretching the defence. England do not need Palmer. Great player, wrong team. They need a left winger who runs in behind and a striker who will play as a striker. If Kane can't be disciplined enough to do it, then he must be dropped.

 

I'm not that worried. We've picked up 4 points at a canter. Only goal conceded was a wonder goal. France were poor for every game in 98 up to the final. You just need to do enough to progress. With the quality in this side we will have a good chance against anyone and we're hard to beat. No guarantees we win it but as long as we're still there we have a good chance.

Foden, Kane and Bellingham need to get their acts together though. Saka has been the only consistent outlet so far. Hopefully the weird TAA experiment is over and we can revert to playing midfielders in midfield!

 

Pickford

Walker Stones Geuhi Tripps

Rice Wharton

Bellingham

Saka Kane Gordon

That's my team. Back 4 and GK picks itself as there's no quality options (although could go TAA at RB and move Walker to LB).

Rice is easily best DM. I like the look of Wharton, seems a proper CM, and plays on the front foot when he can.

Get Bellingham feeding that front 3 and getting in the box.

Saka and Gordon to stay wide, run at the defence.

Kane to play as a no9, none of this dropping deep bóllócks.

 

4-4-2 on Tuesday against Slovenia. ******* go for it.

 

England look poor because they aren't pressing. Which could just be because they don't need to in the group stage matches. Why burn yourselves out when there are matches every few days? That's what I'm hoping is happening anyway.

 

You don't have to press to play positive football though. You just have to look to break the lines, create chances, take players on when you have the ball. There are hundreds if breathtaking teams over the years who didn't use the press but simply unleashed their attacking flair when they had the ball and defended when they didn't.
The only time we try to create is when we absolutely have to. Otherwise having possession is seen as more important than finishing a game off.

 

I agree that positive football would be way better, if not just because of the spectacle. At times it seems that England must avoid putting the ball into the opponent's penalty area at all costs. England matches are the dullest in the tournament and that's for us, having an interest in the outcome. Goodness knows how dull they must be for neutrals.

But the question wasn't how would you play positive football, it was how would you improve England. Getting back to pressing would improve England. I think we have to accept Southgate will always be cautious and negative. They do normally press though, which has been absent for a few games now. I'm hoping they're saving themselves.