I think what Southgate was thinking is that he has good defenders, and good attackers, but doesn’t really have a great midfield engine.
So the idea is to defend as a team and get everyone behind the ball, and then hope you can hit on the counter and set pieces.
And overall it was effective this tournament. They only conceded 2 goals, up until today had won every game on expected goals, and it got them to the finals.
But IMO they weren’t the right tactics for today, and I say this as an Italian fan who is very happy with the result.
England had the crowd, had the energy, and should have tried to surprise Italy by attacking. They should have really been attacking the Italian backs who were not as good with Spinazzola injured and used their speed to try to get behind the Italian Centerbacks. Instead they tried to sit back and set up very negative.
Once Italy settled into the game they were happy to play this game even being down 1-0. Bonucci, Cheillini, Verratti, and Jorginho were happy to control the ball and just have England chase them around. The domination of the ball started to open up space for Chiesa and Insigne, and it did just feel like a matter of time for Italy.
Funny how it works sometimes in sports. The England golden generation had some of the greatest midfield talent in the world but were lacking in other areas at times. This team has the attackers and the defenders, but would kill for a Gerrard, Lampard, or Scholes.
|