England’s World Cup 2018 voyage has begun, and Gareth Southgate’s young Lions got off to the best possible start, as Harry Kane’s injury-time winner against Tunisia gave them their first victory in their first match at a major tournament since 2006.
That’s not to say that England’s performance was flawless, though, and so with their second match against underdogs Panama upcoming this Sunday afternoon, here are 4 changes Southgate could ring to ensure his side pick up their second victory:
Young out, Rose in on the left
For the opening fixture with Tunisia, Southgate preferred Manchester United’s Ashley Young in the left wing-back slot ahead of Tottenham’s Danny Rose – the likely explanations being some questions over Rose’s fitness and a feeling that Young could provide a better attacking option.
After Monday’s game though, it might make sense to go the other way and start with the Spurs man against Panama. Young didn’t have a bad game per say – his corner set up England’s opener and he also provided some excellent balls into the box, but as a natural right-footer, having to cut back in order to fire a cross means England’s attacking play is often slowed down.
Sterling out, Loftus-Cheek in
The player who seems to be coming in for the most criticism after the Tunisia match is Raheem Sterling, and while he’s often unfairly maligned by the media on this occasion they have a point – he was profligate in front of goal and just didn’t have his best game overall. It’s likely Gareth Southgate will stick with him against Panama, but if he decides another option is best, the man for the job could be Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Alli and Kane have shown an almost telepathic understanding at times for Tottenham, but due to Sterling’s position in the England side that hasn’t really come to fruition at international level yet. Moving Loftus-Cheek into the middle though would not only provide the Three Lions with a boost in terms of power and pace, but it’d allow Alli to link up with Kane, and as Spurs have shown, it’s a dangerous partnership for any opponent.
Plus, Loftus-Cheek looked fantastic in his brief cameo against Tunisia, providing a handful of chances in just a few minutes. Many fans have called him England’s wild card – it’s time for Southgate to use him.
Be a little more streetwise with the officials
Former England captain Wayne Rooney has criticised England sides in the past for not being “streetwise” enough – basically not being willing to turn to football’s dark arts in order to succeed. And while I’m not suggesting Dele Alli attempt a Maradona-style Hand of God, it was telling that despite Tunisia looking like a dirty, niggling team on Monday, it was only an England man – Kyle Walker – who came away from the match with a booking.
With Panama (judging on their showing against Belgium) being the sort of side who are likely to use the same spoiling tactics as Tunisia did – niggling fouls, a lot of time wasting and goading – then this factor could become even more important if Southgate’s men want to ensure a victory. Being morally superior is always nice but in a World Cup it doesn’t always get you the win. It’s time for the Three Lions to get a little nastier.
Don’t let the tempo drop
Perhaps the most worrying part of England’s performance against Tunisia was the fact that after a blistering start, their tempo dropped somewhat in the second half and they began to move the ball far more slowly than they had done earlier in the game. Some would blame Tunisia’s controversial equaliser for this, but then England’s pace remained high after it right until the half-time whistle.
Against Panama – in hopefully cooler temperatures than they faced against Tunisia – it’s important for Southgate’s men to keep that heavy tempo up and really make their opponents work hard. England are finally blessed with fleet-footed players who can also keep possession well, so they need to make sure that heavy-pressing, rapid style of play doesn’t drop in the second 45 minutes. If that means Southgate needs to make earlier substitutions, then so be it.