Is this what Roy Hodgson is missing to end England’s 50 years of hurt?

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Supporters are more engaged with tactics than ever before. In part, this is because of the ubiquity of online blogs and the ascendance of programmes such as Monday Night Football, which educate football fans and raise their consciousness of what is happening on the pitch. This is a wonderful thing given how we have bemoaned English
footballing culture’s reluctance to engage in considered thought. It has however, led to a far more critical culture. Roy Hodgson was on the receiving end of some of this criticism following England’s 1-0 win over Portugal at Wembley on Thursday night.

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Hodgson experimented with a 4-4-2 diamond, that merged into a 4-3-3 when England were pressing in the opponent’s half as Wayne Rooney pushed on and spread Jamie Vardy and Harry Kane into wide-forward positions. The sight of Vardy and Kane, who scored 49 Premier League goals between them last term, playing on the flanks trying to stifle Portugal’s full-backs sent alarm bells ringing for many.

It is ironic how we complain of England players’ lack of versatility and intelligence, yet scream blue murder whenever a player is asked to do a job other than the one we are used to seeing him do. Playing on the left of a front three is not the same as playing on the left of a midfield four, and it is a role that Vardy could make a decent fist of; so long as he is asked to play from the left rather than on the left.

The same can’t be said for Harry Kane, who’s stature and lack of raw speed renders him an awkward presence in the wide-forward position. Hodgson was guilty of asking too much of them from a defensive perspective, and should have left James Milner and Delle Alli to shuffle across to support the full backs rather than get his two forwards to
track back.

For all these tactical machinations, it was the type of player Hodgson selected (and more importantly the type of player he left out) that hampered England more than anything. Formations are important to be sure, but are far more fluid than many acknowledge. The greater problem was that England’s team did not possess the right blend of attributes.

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Hodgson wants to get Wayne Rooney, Delle Alli, Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy into his team. That much is obvious given his recent selections and his adoption of a midfield diamond, the only system in which you might be able to avoid one of those players starting in a wide berth. Hodgson has always seemed pre-occupied with public opinion, and he looks wary of leaving out Alli, Vardy or Kane who were three of the Premier League’s star performers last term. That he wants to find a place for his captain and England’s all-time record goalscorer goes without saying.

All four though, are ‘power’ players; they are bombastic, direct and their first thought is always to play forward. They are players who look to attack space rather than make it. They are players you want on the end of attacks, rather than starting them. Players like this are absolutely necessary, or else the team lacks cutting edge. Too many of them however, and the play can look too rushed and chaotic. This is especially pertinent against deep lying defences, when forwards are asked to play in tight spaces and there isn’t the grass available for the likes of Alli or Vardy to run into.

This problem was exacerbated by the selection of James Milner. Milner is unfairly maligned, and is a valuable asset, but he is not the right partner for Eric Dier and never will be. Dier had an outstanding campaign with Spurs and he is an extremely promising holding midfielder who is sturdy presence in front of the back four. He isn’t a natural ball player however, not a player wants to take the ball from the centre backs and build.

That issue can be relieved by playing some one alongside him who does this job. Moussa Dembele does this for Spurs; the Belgian is excellent in possession when pressed and almost impossible to knock off the ball. England had no such ball-player in their team on Thursday. Some have suggested Wayne Rooney can perform this role; regardless of his suitability, he was too high up the pitch to affect things in this zone. As a result, England didn’t build up
through the middle of the pitch effectively and were forced to shovel the ball into wide areas far too early in the attacking phase.

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On the substitutes bench for England were Jack Wilshere, Raheem Sterling, Adam Lallana and Daniel Sturridge; all players who can add the qualities that were lacking. England sorely missed the subtlety and technical quality of either Wilshere or Lallana, and missed the dribbling ability of Raheem Sterling to unlock a packed defence. Daniel Sturridge is also adept at manipulating the ball in claustrophobic situations. They will face three more packed
defences in the groups stage of Euro 2016 and Hodgson must not be fooled into thinking he can bulldoze his way through them; the team needs a dose of guile and trickery.

Essentially, England’s forward options can be split into two categories. There are ‘power’ players in the form of Rooney, Alli, Kane and Vardy and there are ‘ball-players’ in the form of Wilshere, Lallana, Sterling and Sturridge. England need a blend of both styles if they are to fulfil their undoubted potential at his summer’s championships.

Sir Alf Ramsey’s famous dictum that one should pick his best team and not his best players is now something of a cliché, but it remains relevant. It may not sound very grandiose as a philosophy but is actually quite hard to abide by.  We live in a footballing world now where there seems a constant hunger to compare. Not just the usual pub patter between rival fans arguing the toss over which team has the better striker, but between supporters of the same team over their own players. The concept of having a squad comprised of different styles of player who can contribute in different scenarios seems lost on some. This isn’t a question of ‘Alli V Wilshere’ or ‘Vardy v Sturridge’, as social media so often frames these debates, but which player gives balance to the team and is suited to the match situation.

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Moreover, many pundits and commentators appear to treat England selection as the ‘just desserts’ for a player’s Premier League performance (see reaction to Danny Drinkwater’s omission). Club form is a factor in the manager’s
thinking but, in reality, a player should only be selected if he brings something to the table. The European Championships are not a prize giving ceremony, where Hodgson ‘rewards’ player for how well they have done with their clubs. His task is fielding a well-balanced team that can win games. That might mean leaving out a player who had a sensational Premier League campaign, perhaps Dele Alli or Jamie Vardy. Hodgson must demonstrate he has the strength to do this, and to hell with what the ‘man on the street’ might think.

Feautured Image – All Rights Reserved by Steve Mcmetha.