Gareth Southgate learns from the French to beat... France

There will be no secret about England facing France. Not only because many French players have played in England, but because manager Gareth Southgate and his team of analysts have been studying the French team for the past few years.

Southgate’s study of France isn’t about tonight’s quarter-final. He’s been studying France’s play as runners-up at Euro 2016 and then winners of the 2018 World Cup to learn how to turn his England team into champions. His team has been looking at the smallest details: the best way to get through the group stage, how to take penalties, how to conserve energy…

Southgate has conveyed to his players what he has learned, the first thing is that to win the championship is to organize a good defense. The 2014 and 2018 champions, Germany and France, kept 4/7 clean sheets. At Euro 2020, England kept 5/7 clean sheets. Currently, they have kept 3/4 clean sheets, on the right track.

England team will compete with champions France for a semi-final ticket. (Photo: FRANCE FOOTBALL)

In 2018, coach Didier Deschamps managed Antoine Griezmann's playing time very well, often taking him off early in the first matches. Thanks to that, he played well in the semi-finals and finals. Southgate did the same with his star player Harry Kane, helping him play well in two consecutive 120-minute matches against Denmark and Italy at Euro 2020. At this World Cup, Kane was also often taken off early, waiting to explode at the important stage.

England’s pursuit of clean sheets doesn’t mean they have to play like everyone else. France’s 2018 defence was pretty minimalist. Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris liked to play long, France sat deep and launched quick counter-attacks. France’s style of play wasn’t always convincing but it helped them win the title. It taught Southgate that you don’t have to play the brightest football to win a tournament.

The biggest question for Southgate against France is how to stop Kylian Mbappé. The answer lies in defender Kyle Walker - who has the same speed as Mbappé on the pitch, running 38 km/h with the ball at his feet. Southgate will probably assign Walker to one-on-one with Mbappé, following the French striker like a shadow on the pitch.

Finally, we have seen a scientific , pragmatic Southgate like his counterpart Deschamps on the other side of the front line. But to beat France, England need to play a bit more adventurous football, introduce some unexpected tactics. Is Southgate still hiding his cards, because if not, Southgate will try to drag the opponent to a penalty shootout to see who will be the lucky one?

Source: https://nld.com.vn/the-thao/gareth-southgate-hoc-nguoi-phap-de-danh-bai-phap-20221209202405987.htm