Unexpected big troublemaker of England team, always putting the brothers in difficult situations

“We didn’t control the ball well, it’s as simple as that. We need to do that better and build up more solidly. Then we’ll defend less and be more confident,” said Gareth Southgate, one of England’s problems after a disappointing 1-1 draw with Denmark.

Coach Gareth Southgate was disappointed when England drew with Denmark

According to UEFA statistics, England is only ranked 8th in terms of ball possession at EURO 2024 with an average possession rate of 53.5%. This figure is similar to some other championship candidates such as the Netherlands, France, Spain. However, all 3 teams mentioned have experienced tense matches (the Netherlands and France met each other, Spain met Italy and Croatia, a team that also has very good ball possession).

England only had to face Serbia and Denmark, opponents that were rated lower than them. When they could not control the game well, England had many problems in attack and suffered a lot of pressure from the opponent. We have talked too much about the midfield and the ability to connect with the stars of the "Three Lions". Now another problem is Pickford's goalkeeper position.

Goalkeeper Pickford has ineffective handling

In fact, Pickford has not played badly, still has impressive saves for the England team, still performing as he has at Everton for many years. The problem is that he is not a goalkeeper who plays well with his feet, nor does he have the mindset to play short and medium passes to help Southgate's team control the ball effectively and optimally. And below is a typical situation.

When Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham dropped deep to receive the ball from Pickford, he could have passed it across to John Stones, who then flicked it up to a tired Harry Kane. As a result, England lost the ball. It is worth noting that Foden, Bellingham and Stones are all very good at handling things in tight spaces.

Pickford made an excellent save for England

According to Sky Sports statistics, Pickford is the goalkeeper with the most “launches” at EURO 2024. Opta , the world's leading statistics unit, defines a “launch” as a situation where the ball is brought into an open area for players to compete in. That means that most of Pickford's ball-forward situations force his teammates into a 50/50 battle.

Look at the rest of the list. Scotland's Angus Gunn, Poland's Wojciech Szczesny, Croatia's Dominik Livakovic and Serbia's Martin Dubravka. Only Pickford is the goalkeeper of a title contender. You can hardly blame Pickford when he has been playing like that for Everton, a mid-table Premier League side for years.

England reserve goalkeeper Ramsdale

The problem lies in the choice of coach Southgate. He still has a goalkeeper who plays well with his feet and has impressive reflexes in Aaron Ramsdale. This goalkeeper is also familiar with the proactive style of playing, controlling the ball and developing from the home field at Arsenal. The important thing is whether coach Southgate will be bold enough to change or will he continue to be conservative and extremely safe as he has been for many years?

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bat-ngo-nhan-vat-gay-bat-an-lon-cua-doi-tuyen-anh-toan-dua-anh-em-vao-the-kho-185240625143722316.htm