Southgate draws on Premier League for new England approach
The English Premier League has long been a scapegoat for England's below-par performances at major tournaments, but manager Gareth Southgate says he has benefited from tactics used by its foreign coaches.
England start their World Cup campaign against Tunisia tomorrow morning (Singapore time) with a formation Southgate believes will play to their strengths of pace and attacking flair.
"We've got some of the best coaches in the world working in our league, so there are some fascinating ideas," Southgate told the FA's website.
"The more you watch a team, the more you start to see familiar patterns of play and how they build up. The season has been a great contrast of styles and philosophies."
Much has been made of the impact of Manchester City's Spanish coach Pep Guardiola on players like Kyle Walker, John Stones and Raheem Sterling, but Southgate's system owes more to the approach of Italian Antonio Conte at Chelsea.
The London club won the EPL in 2017 playing with three central defenders and two advanced wing-backs - a central striker and a floating winger/support forward in Eden Hazard.
That is essentially the formula Southgate is expected to use in the World Cup with Kieran Trippier and Ashley Young likely to occupy the wing-back positions.
While Guardiola and Liverpool's Juergen Klopp also make use of attacking fullbacks, they do so as part of more traditional back fours, whereas Southgate is adopting Conte's preference for three central defenders.
That requires a different kind of centre-half, capable of covering the wider areas during counter-attacks - hence the use of Walker on the right and probably Harry Maguire on the left.
It is no carbon copy of Conte's approach though - whereas the Italian often used two holding midfielders in N'Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic, Southgate is expected to go with just one.
Sterling is likely to be given the "Hazard role" in support of striker Harry Kane with Jesse Lingard and Dele Alli providing attacking support from midfield.
It is a system that makes England well suited to counter-attacking and playing in high-tempo matches. But perhaps it makes Southgate's side better suited to facing stronger sides than less ambitious opponents who will look to defend in numbers and slow games down.
The first two opponents in Group G, Tunisia and Panama, will likely try to limit the opportunities for breaks, reduce space and slow the tempo.
The first major test for Southgate's philosophy will be whether his team can impose their desire for an open, attacking contest on their opponents. - REUTERS
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now