That game, in particular, highlighted two clear differences to the Southgate era.
The first being the speed of play through the middle third.
Southgate’s sides, perhaps more traditionally, built up short – looking to progress the ball more slowly. They wanted to keep the ball, move up the pitch as a unit before – when pinning the opposition in their own third – trying to break down the low block.
That worked particularly well against teams who conceded control and were reluctant to press high.
But with football always developing, games towards the end of Southgate’s reign featured England facing increasingly clever defensive tactics. We saw braver mid-blocks and, at times, teams pressing higher. This is in line with the rise in man-to-man pressure we’ve seen become more common in club football.
The second difference was the manner in which the team looked to solve tactical dilemmas.
For Tuchel, clever and more aggressive defensive tactics are countered through specific patterns and planned solutions.
Against Croatia, as England passed the ball backwards, Declan Rice moved into a wide-left position vacating the centre of the pitch for Harry Kane to drop into alongside Elliot Anderson. Bellingham pushed forward into the last line.
These movements were automatic but worked to undo Croatia’s press. After bringing Croatia up the pitch, the moves ended with Kane or Anderson playing it long into Bellingham, Anthony Gordon or Noni Madueke.
Coaches prescribe solutions for players, who are selected to execute those ideas. That is put in a simplistic way, but is the Tuchel way.
Southgate, when faced with a similar mid-block shape, would rely on the players he’d selected to solve the problem in a more intuitive manner.
This approach was harder for opponents to prepare for, with Alexander-Arnold and Kobbie Mainoo able to come up with different ways to progress the ball – but without specific direction, players could become stuck against well-prepared defences in an increasingly tactical sport.
The rotation England used against Croatia, of course, won’t be a surprise for their next opponents.
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