Squad Numbers

89:59, ticking over to 90:00, it is the dream of every young child in the world to see that ball leave your foot and hit the back of the net at that moment. A moment of pure ecstasy, jubilation and incomprehension, the feeling of doing your country proud, all of your friends, family and strangers that you will never know, but they will know you now. Ollie Watkins will have dreamt that dream, but unlike the rest of us, yesterday he lived it. England showed the best version of themselves against the Netherlands, that is a version which we have seen in flashes throughout the tournament, a tournament in which England have slowly built themselves into the free flowing, positive team that we hoped and expected them to be pre-tournament. Gareth Southgate and his team have received endless amounts of criticism throughout the tournament, but he has got it right when it matters most.

England limped through the group stage, with decent results but very little in the way of positive performances, and it felt as if they were sleepwalking to defeat against Slovakia before Jude Bellingham stepped up with a genius overhead kick in the last minute to give England a lifeline in a game they eventually went on to win. It took a flawless penalty shootout to get past Switzerland, but that performance was much better than any previous game, it provided the shoots of hope which flourished in the Netherlands game. It is a testament to Southgate and his coaching how England have improved throughout the tournament, highlighting why he should be recognised as England’s greatest ever coach.

Despite their being seemingly infinite calls for drastic changes to England’s starting lineup throughout the tournament, with the likes of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka all being suggested as drop-able, Southgate has stuck to his guns, and only made small adaptions throughout the tournament, the core of the team has largely stayed the same. Early on there were some questions over who should start alongside Declan Rice in midfield, with Connor Gallagher and Trent Alexander-Arnold both being tried in that position in the group stages, but from the Round of 16 onwards, Southgate has stuck with Kobbie Mainoo there, who has been exceptional. This show of trust from the coach to the players has undoubtedly helped their confidence, at a time where these players may have been struggling with that, due to the immense pressure placed upon them by the media who lambaste anyone who makes a mistake.

This also reduced the pressure on those who were initially not picked to start, as if you had had lets say Anthony Gordon come in to replace Phil Foden in the Round of 16 as per the clamour, Gordon would have felt immense pressure upon himself to make a difference, which would have had a negative impact on his performance. And then when it doesn’t work with the player that everyone wanted to play, do you go back to the star player who you dropped? Who has had his ego and confidence shot down?

Picking largely the same team has also helped the connections grow throughout the tournament. It is a very fresh and news squad to the last tournament 2 years ago, and many of these players have not played together, never mind in the system that England have played in this tournament.

The potential issue with keeping the same starting eleven is that those players who don’t get the opportunity to start may get frustrated at the lack of game time, as the vast majority of the members of England’s squad have enjoyed exceptional seasons with their clubs in which they have been first choice all the time. However, Southgate, knowing that this would be an issue, has created an environment of trust, every single member of the squad knows that they have a part to play in this team. Only Adam Wharton, Joe Gomez, Lewis Dunk, Aaron Ramsdale and Dean Henderson have not featured in the tournament so far, with 2 of those being reserve goalkeeper’s who were not expected to play anyway. The idea which has rung around the camp and in the media has been the idea of “Finishers” instead of substitutes, this means that if you aren’t starting the game, it doesn’t mean that you are not thought of as a player that can contribute to the team, but more as one that can enter the pitch during different situations and impact the game that way. Southgate has made 5 substitutes in each of the knockout matches, and made 3, 4 and 4 respectively in the group stage matches. These players that have come on have been highly motivated to contribute, and their fresh legs has often driven life into the team when things have gone stale. Of the 5 goals scored by England in the knockout rounds, only 1 of them has been before a substitution has been made, that being Harry Kane’s penalty against the Netherlands-which itself probably shouldn’t have been a penalty, showing the value that subs can make. This was highlighted perfectly during the game last night, you know what happened, I don’t need to explain, 2 substitutes combine for the winning goal.

Southgate also seems to have got rid of the issue with ego, it feels as if anyone can be taken off at any time without any complaint. In the Netherlands game, arguably England’s best 2 players Harry Kane and Phil Foden were taken off in the 80th minute, with the game of the most extreme magnitude, a semi final, still at stake. There was no complaint and in the end it was their replacements who won it for England.

Southgate has got his substitutes right time and time again, and it is the impact that the individuals that have come on have had which has kept England in the tournament. People have called for more changes and earlier but Southgate has got it right, he’s given his players the chance to impress from the start, but has then been ruthless when the time has come.

At the start of the tournament England looked muddled, a naturally defensive minded, pragmatic manager stuck with the burden of a nation which expects free flowing attacking football from some of the best players in the world. England were trying to be something they are not, and tactically, it was not working. Southgate did the right thing after the Slovakia game, he realised that although they got the result they needed, the performance was not good enough, and if not for a moment of genius from Jude Bellingham, they would have been heading home following one of the most humiliating defeats in the countries history. He changed it. This change wasn’t in terms of personnel, but formation. England switched to a 5 at the back formation for the Switzerland game, which they kept against the Netherlands. (Not to brag at all but I did suggest that very shape-albeit with sum different individuals in this blog here: Three outlandish ways in which England can fix their tactical problems and win the Euros) Bukayo Saka has a crucial role to play in this system, as out of possession he has to play as a wing-back, which he does not usually do, and in possession he transitions to his more natural right wing position. It helps that Saka is so exceptional at seemingly everything that he does, as this system wouldn’t be possible without a player as versatile, intelligent and committed as him. This system allows England to become more defensively secure, as the extra defender allows the midfielders to push further up the pitch, as they know that in turn the centre-backs can be more aggressive behind them as they have more cover. The change in shape also allows Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham to play as dual 10’s, allowing them to both flourish in their natural roles. This has all helped England’s press, as they can be more aggressive higher up the pitch as they know they have the cover behind them. This leans into Southgate’s natural pragmatism, as even when they are pressing, they remain compact at all times, not allowing the opposition through the centre. The fact that now all of England’s attacking players are in their natural positions when England have the ball, without the worry of having to be in two places at once has also helped them going forward, they are more free, more fluid and in that first half against the Netherlands they looked like a team that could beat anyone. In the second half of the game that somewhat stopped, but that was due to the Netherlands taking Memphis Depay off just before half time for Joey Veerman, a centre forward for a defensive midfielder. This meant that there was less space for England to find in midfield, and progressing the ball centrally became near on impossible. However, this also meant that the Netherlands had very little in the way of attacking threat, apart from set pieces.

Spain are an exceptional side, and beating them will take a superhuman effort from all involved with England, everything will have to be perfect. But this England team are different, different to the teams of the past few years, and different to the team that started this tournament. They are fluid, aggressive and extremely talented. We have an abundance of players who can pull something out of the hat, make something happen from nothing, and that talent is becoming more prominent as these gems begin to connect, the understanding between these generational talents has grown and is growing. The group is unflappable, if they go behind there is no panic, they will continue to play, and try the more audacious, and because they are so exceptional, it will more than likely come off. No matter what happens on Sunday, this England team have given the nation multiple moments of pure joy, moments and memories which will last a lifetime. He gets a lot of criticism, but win or lose, Gareth Southgate deserves recognition as the best England manager of all time.