Sport
How can Southgate improve England ahead of Qatar?
Gareth Southgate had an extra year to think about what went wrong for England at the 2018 World Cup before Euro 2020. Indeed, the postponement of the tournament due to the Covid-19 pandemic allowed the 50-year-old to plot and plan. The evidence of that work was clear in the run the Three Lions made to the final.
The knock-on of Euro 2020 taking place in 2021, though, is that Southgate has just over a year to learn the lessons of this summer’s tournament before the 2022 World Cup, when England will be expected to go all the way having fallen at the final hurdle on Sunday night. Analysis must start immediately.
Three years ago, England’s lack of control prevented them from going any further than the World Cup semi-finals. Southgate’s side was passed off the pitch by a more technically able Croatia side in Saint-Petersburg and so the mission before Euro 2020 was to find players, specifically midfielders, who could get their foot on the ball when required.
Southgate clearly saw the central pairing of Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice as the way to address this deficiency and it worked to a certain extent. England certainly had more control in their Euro 2020 outings than they did in their matches at the 2018 World Cup but that came at the cost of creativity.
England’s entire Euro 2020 campaign was dominated by the discussion over the make-up of the midfield and attack, with many retaining the belief Southgate should have taken the handbrake off more often. Despite boasting one of the best attacking selections in the tournament, England only ever put their foot down in the 4-0 quarter-final win over Ukraine.
In tournament football, where it is sometimes better to play not to lose than to play to win, this approach helped England make the final but the system’s limitations were exposed against Italy, an opposition team who could match Southgate’s side for technical ability and in-match intelligence.
This is where England must make their greatest improvement before the 2022 World Cup. Southgate must find a formation that allows England to impose their own game more forcefully on opponents but he must also learn to trust his creative, attacking players. They are the ones who could make the Three Lions world champions next year.
In 2018, many identified Phil Foden, then an 18-year-old, as the young prospect who could take England to the next level of the international game. Now, many see Jude Bellingham who could make the big difference for the Three Lions between now and the next tournament. Indeed, the Borussia Dortmund teenager could add another more dynamic dimension to England’s midfield.
As impressive as Jordan Pickford was at Euro 2020, there are still questions over the long-term future of the England number one shirt. Dean Henderson will likely start the 2021/22 as Manchester United’s first choice goalkeeper and so a strong campaign could see the 24-year-old replace Pickford in Southgate’s strongest XI.
Southgate would surely want another top-level centre forward to take some of the physical burden off Harry Kane, who faced questions over his fitness levels at Euro 2020. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is an able deputy, but must prove there is more to his game than just aerial threat. This would further improve England’s attacking options, as would the continued development of Mason Greenwood.
Elsewhere, England look well set for the future, certainly for the next 18 months until the 2022 World Cup. Southgate has established a system that gives England a chance in tournament football but now he must make progress in turning them into frontrunners with the firepower to finish off opponents. England had control at Euro 2020, but they’ll need to carry more threat in Qatar.
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