England's formation for their World Cup clash against the USA on Friday is likely to be 4-3-3, according to journalist Simon Phillips.
Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate is expected to stick by the system implemented in his side's 6-2 victory against Iran in their Group B opener.
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During their dismantling of Iran, England played in a more attacking style than they have in previous tournaments and they got the reward to show for it, securing an important three points courtesy of the emphatic win.
Bukayo Saka twice got on the scoresheet, while Jude Bellingham netted his first goal for his country, with Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish getting in on the act for good measure.
Southgate was pleased with the result but was disappointed by some sloppy moments in the game, indicating that his side will need to be better when they take on the USA on Friday.
The England manager today told ITV that key player Harry Kane will be back in the team for the next match after suffering an ankle injury scare last time out, for which he required a scan, news that will come as a big boost to the Three Lions.
What has Phillips said about England?
Phillips praised England's performance in the 4-3-3 system against Iran and believes that Southgate will stick with it in their next match.
However, he stated that a five-at-the-back system could be implemented later in the tournament, telling GIVEMESPORT: "I'm hearing that just because he played that 4-3-3 and it went so well, they are still training and perfecting the five-at-the-back system which we've grown used to.
"But I think against the USA he is probably going to go with the same lineup really, as long as injuries allow that, and we will still see the 4-3-3. But once we start going against the tougher sides, I can see Southgate reverting to a back five again and using his more trusted formation there."
What formation should England play?
Although they ultimately came up just short, the Three Lions utilised a five-at-the-back formation en-route to the Euro 2020 final last year, with this being used to particularly good effect in the 2-0 victory against Germany in the round of 16.
If they progress to the latter stages of the World Cup, the England manager may well opt to use this system again, to counteract the attacking quality of the opposition.
However, heading into the game against the USA, the 52-year-old should stick by the tactics that produced a good result against Iran as he undoubtedly has the players at his disposal to win by a similar margin if they are at the top of their game.
Harry Redknapp hailed Saka as "fantastic" for his performance in the opener, and with England's second all-time leading goalscorer Kane fit and ready to play, there is not yet any need to instill a more cautious approach.
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