It was a great summer to be English. For the first time in a generation, the nation had a team it could be proud of; a group of affable, accessible and unassuming young men led by a self-deprecating, studious and congenial manager. Before they travelled to Russia, few believed they would go far. But with a combination of hard work, meticulous preparation and a little bit of luck, the Three Lions reached the World Cup semi-finals for the first time in 28 years. The achievement was celebrated wildly, and rightly so. But now the time has come to fall back to earth and, more importantly, plan for Euro 2020 and the next World Cup in Qatar. If Gareth Southgate and his boys can look back objectively on their summer of giddy joy and elation, there are lessons to be learned, especially in terms of tactical flexibility.

The Issues

First, the facts. England played seven games at FIFA’s flagship event, of which they won three, drew one and lost three. Of the sides they beat in 90 minutes, none were ranked in the world top-20 going into the tournament. Against the two better teams they faced, Belgium twice and Croatia, the Three Lions struggled to impose themselves. They were overrun in the middle of midfield and at times struggled to hold onto the ball. To say this is not to diminish the achievements of Southgate’s boys, merely to highlight where they can improve going forward. This issue was particularly clear in the semi-final against Croatia, when, after an ebullient, energetic start from England, the tie settled into a pattern of Croatian possession, with their central trio of Marcelo Brozovic, Ivan Rakitic and Luka Modric dominating the ball and controlling the flow of the game. Many pointed the finger at England’s lack of a passing central midfielder in the mould of a Modric, Xavi or Toni Kroos as the root of the matter. But geniuses like that only come about once in three generations. Surely there is something Southgate can do to correct this deficiency that is more proactive than merely standing around waiting for a superstar to emerge.

The Fix?

That something, perhaps, could be a change to the system. In Russia Southgate employed what he referred to as a 3-3-2-2 formation, which meant playing with only one conventional central midfielder; Jordan Henderson. The other two midfield roles were filled by players – Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard – who at club level are out-and-out number 10s, at times leaving the Liverpool captain isolated and swamped by the opposition. Alli and Lingard were willing runners and showed unwavering commitment to Southgate’s idea of play. Increasingly, however, it seemed as if the double demand – defending deep when out of possession and being responsible for creating chances and providing width when England had the ball – was too much to handle.