The England national team is confidently approaching their fourth major tournament in a row under the guidance of Gareth Southgate. Securing the top spot in qualifying Group C for the 2024 UEFA European Championship, the Three Lions have an excellent opportunity to redeem the disappointment of the Euro 2020 final and overcome the painful quarter-final exit in the 2022 World Cup.
This summer, the English team will have another chance to achieve international triumph. If you are confident in the victory of one of the national teams in the upcoming European Championship, you can enhance your interest by placing bets with the bookmaker Pin-Up. Additionally, the company offers a large online casino for gambling enthusiasts – https://pinup-casino-uz.net/aviator/.
Tactical changes as the key to success?
While 2022 cannot be considered a successful year for Southgate, positive changes in the team’s game emerged in 2023. After relegation from the top tier of the UEFA Nations League and finishing last in Group A3 last summer, the English coach made a bold tactical maneuver.
Abandoning the favored 3-4-3 formation, Southgate switched to more attacking formations like 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3. This move proved decisive – with their return from Qatar, the Three Lions gained new playing strength. The former Middlesbrough manager, often criticized for overly defensive football, made a 180-degree turnaround.
The radical changes in the playing style worked to the team’s advantage. In 2023, Southgate’s proteges progressed both in attack and defense, as evidenced by statistical indicators. In 11 matches, starting from the loss to Hungary (1:0) in the Nations League and ending with the final game of the World Cup, England conceded 14 goals – fewer than any other top team during that period.
The shift to a new formation allowed the English team to solidify their defense – in the last 6 games, they conceded only 3 goals. Meanwhile, the team’s attacking potential not only remained intact but even strengthened.
After the World Cup, Southgate’s wards scored 19 goals, surpassing the performance from the start of the Nations League to the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup. Except for the 1-1 draw with Ukraine in the final Euro 2024 qualifying match, the Three Lions consistently troubled opponents at least twice per game.
Questions with the lineup could cost success
Despite the abundance of talented players from the leading Premier League clubs, Southgate continues to stubbornly rely on the familiar core of players. His recent squad selections have drawn criticism from fans. The lineup still includes conspicuously mediocre stars and players whose careers are on the decline.
It seems that Harry Maguire has firmly entered the inner circle of “untouchables” for Southgate. Becoming a Manchester United reserve, the problematic defender not only failed to gain the coach’s trust but also tarnished his reputation by scoring an own goal against Scotland in October.
Meanwhile, Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa, displaying excellent form this season, did not receive a call-up to the national team.
Jordan Pickford remains the first-choice goalkeeper despite Nick Pope’s phenomenal performances for Newcastle. Pope’s teammate, Anthony Gordon, would undoubtedly welcome a call-up to the national team, but the English specialist ignores him. This is despite Gordon being one of the season’s revelations at Newcastle.
Of all the coach’s preferences for the “old guard,” the reluctance to include James Ward-Prowse in the squad looks most surprising. The 28-year-old playmaker from West Ham is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League at the moment.
However, for some reason, Southgate preferred Manchester City’s outcast Calvin Phillips and veteran Jordan Henderson, now playing for Al-Ittihad. This is despite Ward-Prowse being in much more impressive form.
Persistent unwillingness to trust new faces, a blind bet on familiar names, is unlikely to lead the England national team to success. Southgate must realize this truth before it becomes too late.
Can England win Euro 2024?
In the lead-up to Euro 2024, the England national team is experiencing one of the brightest periods in recent history. Tactical transformations carried out by Gareth Southgate in 2023 revived the team’s attacking potential and fortified defensive positions.
The team’s numerical indicators in recent matches compellingly demonstrate these positive shifts. However, the ultimate challenge for the English team will be the decisive matches of the upcoming continental tournament’s final stage.
Southgate needs to overcome the tendency to lose brilliant form in the most crucial games and unite the outstanding compositional material at his disposal into a cohesive, powerful collective. Only then will the Three Lions finally manage to conquer the coveted summit and clinch the long-awaited trophy, which the team from the British Isles fully deserves based on their performance and potential.
Euro 2024 could be the starting point for significant achievements for English football on the international stage. All the cards are in the hands of Southgate and his charges.
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