Which System Should England Play?

  With Gareth Southgate opting for a 3-4-3 formation recently it poses the question of which system should England go with for the Euro’s?

The new system has seen England concede very few goals but also not score many. And when we came up against one of the really big hitters in Belgium not only did we fail to score but we also conceded two.

At the world cup Southgate opted for a 3-5-2 sort of the system and it made us strong in defence but we relied heavily on set pieces for goals.

Afterwards he reverted to 4-3-3. In this system we seemed more free scoring but also more suspect at the back. Plus a lot of the games were played against poor teams in qualifying and although we also performed well against the likes of Spain in the Nations League, the question is would it be the same Spain in a tournament?

After the World Cup I think Southgate gained trust in his centre halves so felt comfortable moving to four at the back. I think that the loss of form of Stones and Maguire made him feel that he had no choice but to go back to three centre halves.

For me the system he should choose is the one that finds a way to get all of our best players in to the team. That may mean sacrificing a bit of defensive stability to get more attacking players in to the team. There is no point playing five at the back against the best teams if we are still going to concede and not be the threat that we can be going forward. I am basing that on the Belgium result rather than performance and that may be a bit unfair.

So who needs to play in England’s best team? Without a doubt Kane and Grealish but then what?

The selection the other day was missing some pace at the top end of the pitch. Would replacing Mount with a Sterling or Rashford make England a different proposition or do we need both Sterling and Rashford as well as Kane and Grealish?

Another debate is would Kane now be better in a number ten role? If Southgate decides he is then he must talk Vardy out of retirement to play up front.

Kane and Vardy together would mean Grealish one side and then there is only room for one of Sterling or Rashford.

I do think that Kane needs some pace up there with him but that could either be him playing deeper or having Sterling and Rashford either side and then Grealish could play the number ten position in that scenario.

I have mainly been discussing the attacking options here but I think the main concern Southgate has is which two centre halves he could trust together if he reverted to two at the back and I believe this is where he is struggling.

It is all a balancing act between attach and defence. One that I feel Southgate hasn’t mastered since the World Cup. And possibly one that is impossible to master given the personnel available at his disposal.

No matter what system England play, I would be very surprised if England can repeat what they did at the World Cup. I think a Quarter Final is about what this team has in their locker on ability.

You would have probably said before the World Cup too but you never know what can happen with a bit of team spirit and the luck of the draw.

It will be interesting to see what he decides to do against Iceland and both the result and performance could play a big part in what he decides is the best way forward.