In the history of EURO and World Cup, England has never won two consecutive matches from the opening match. This statistic continues to repeat at EURO 2024, when the "Three Lions" missed the opportunity to book an early ticket to the round of 16 after a disappointing result against Denmark. Similarly in the opening match against Serbia, England's unconvincing performance followed a familiar script, scoring the opening goal and then playing down and giving the game to the opponent. The only difference is that this time, Denmark is not Serbia.
After a few unsuccessful team experiments in the opening match, Gareth Southgate surprisingly did not change any of the starting 11 players against Denmark. In theory, England's starting lineup for the EURO 2024 group stage is considered the most optimal option for him to combine all the stars he has at his disposal. However, in reality, this formation has too many problems and is just a collection of good players, instead of the best team.
"Gareth Southgate is following the same path as every England manager since 1966. That is, taking the best players, playing the best at club level, and then putting them all together. The lessons of the past remind me that the way to win is to build a team from the best group, not by combining all the best players" - Jamie Carragher shared on Telegraph.
Carragher feels regretful that two of the Premier League's best players, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Phil Foden, have not been able to fully demonstrate their abilities in the national team. For Alexander-Arnold, being placed in midfield at a major tournament like the EURO is a risk that Southgate needs to seriously reconsider. Because the role of central midfielder always requires much higher physical factors and fitness than full-back - the position Alexander-Arnold plays well.
In addition, playing on the wing also gives the 25-year-old player more time and space to take advantage of his passing ability. Before being substituted in the match against Denmark, Alexander-Arnold also left his mark with a favorable pass to Bukayo Saka. However, he could completely launch 4-5 similar passes in a match if playing in his favorite role at Liverpool.
According to Carragher, Southgate should not have started Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden together in the starting lineup. That would cause the three to constantly "step on each other's toes" because they have the same playing style. Instead, the English captain should focus on exploiting and building a style of play around players who have no backup options in the "Three Lions" squad such as Harry Kane and Declan Rice.
A striker of Kane’s caliber – who can play as a traditional “number 9”, “false number 9” and even a “number 10” – should be surrounded by speedy defenders. In the last three international tournaments for the Three Lions, Kane has tended to drop deep to receive the ball and deliver passes to wingers like Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling or Marcus Rashford. Therefore, the optimal plan for England is a 4-3-3 formation with Kane in the center with Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon on the wings.
In midfield, Declan Rice is a classy name and will be supported by a deep-lying player like Jude Bellingham. The remaining choice will belong to Conor Gallagher - who is not rated as highly as Kobbie Mainoo, Adam Wharton or Alexander-Arnold but has plenty of energy and mobility on the pitch.
“Look at Rice, I’ve never seen him so tired. Every time Rice gets the ball, the Danes rush in and surround him. In the second half against Denmark, Rice looked exhausted, having to shoulder too much, covering and covering up the gaps in midfield. It’s a representative image of how tired the England players are. That’s why they sat deep as soon as they opened the scoring,” Carragher said.
Source: https://laodong.vn/bong-da-quoc-te/doi-tuyen-anh-can-mot-tap-the-dong-bo-chu-khong-can-cac-ngoi-sao-1355663.ldo
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