Coach Southgate is too weak when the England team plays soullessly and lacks personality

England team deadlocked

The moment referee Artur Soares Dias blew the final whistle, Kieran Trippier collapsed on the pitch, Declan Rice gasped for breath. The rest of the England players also showed signs of fatigue. The "Three Lions" had just gone through a real torture. Against Denmark, the underdog team, England controlled the ball less than their opponents (49% compared to 51%), and finished less than their opponents (12 shots - 4 on target compared to 16 shots - 7 on target).

The Danish team (red shirts) dominated the 'Three Lions' in the final minutes.

In the final stages of the match, the Danish team continued to put pressure on Gareth Southgate's players. Pierre-Emile Hojberg and Mikkel Damsgaard had shots that made Jordan Pickford struggle. The remaining "tin soldiers" continued to press impressively, causing the English players to make mistakes. Morten Hjulmand's impressive long-range shot also came after Harry Kane made a wrong pass.

Meanwhile, England were too lifeless. Their goal was a fluke. Victor Kristiansen's lack of concentration in defense allowed Kyle Walker to run up and intercept. The ball then bounced around before finding Kane, who scored easily. From that moment until Denmark equalized (16 minutes), England only had four more touches in the opponent's penalty area.

Coach Southgate has very good attacking players.

From the 18th to the 69th minute, when coach Southgate replaced all 3 strikers, the chances created by the "Three Lions" only had an expected goal value of (xG) 0.34, equal to 1/3 of what Luton Town, the team ranked 18th in the Premier League 2023-2024, did. Those are very disappointing numbers, even though in their squad there is Jude Bellingham - La Liga's top scoring midfielder, Harry Kane - Bundesliga's top scorer, Phil Foden - Premier League's best player and many, many other stars.

Too many problems

One of Southgate’s most controversial decisions was the use of Trent Alexander-Arnold in central midfield. When deployed as a No. 6 alongside Declan Rice, the Liverpool player showed some weaknesses in spatial awareness or defensive support. This led to criticism from both the England captain and Alexander-Arnold. In fact, Alexander-Arnold could have played better.

Alexander-Arnold (8) is playing in the central midfield position.

Against Denmark, he made the most key passes (3) and the most passes into the final third (5) of any England player, despite playing just 54 minutes. He is still the best passer England have at their disposal. However, Southgate is not looking to change. He wants to keep Alexander-Arnold in a double pivot alongside Rice in a 4-2-3-1.

Instead, he could push the Liverpool defenders upfield, playing as a box-to-box midfielder alongside Jude Bellingham. When this option didn’t work, the England captain even “excused” that he hadn’t found a player who could replace Kalvin Phillips to partner Rice. It’s worth noting that Phillips is only an average player in England. Coach Southgate’s substitutions are also a problem.

Goalkeeper Pickford struggled against the attacks of the Danish team

In the 56th minute, he replaced the best passer of the match, Alexander-Arnold. In the 69th minute, he brought on the attacking trio of Stephen Eze, Ollie Watkins and Jarrod Bowen. This caused England to lose the ability to pass the ball behind the opponent to take advantage of the speed of the 3 new players. All of Eze, Watkins and Bowen have a more direct, powerful attacking style. Meanwhile, Foden, Kane and Saka tend to coordinate with teammates.

Coach Southgate's substitutions are also too monotonous. He replaces one player with another player in the same position without making any tactical adjustments or approaches to the game. That is why England continue to be stuck after the substitution. Another thing is that both Foden and Bellingham show signs of playing too individually. They are good at breaking through and maneuvering in a narrow area, but in situations where their teammates are in a more favorable position, they do not pass the ball but continue to dribble or shoot themselves. This has not been effective.

With 4 points after 2 matches, England still have a chance to enter the knockout round. But if they continue to play like this, the "Three Lions" may soon become spectators in the race for the EURO 2024 championship.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hlv-southgate-qua-yeu-kem-khi-doi-tuyen-anh-choi-vo-hon-thieu-ca-tinh-185240621150644984.htm