Prior to the World Cup, there was a growing sense that the England team had grown stale under Gareth Southgate. Results in 2022 had been very poor, while the negative tactics employed by their manager had largely failed to get the best out of their most talented players.
That was all quickly forgotten when they beat Iran 6-2 in their tournament opener, although it wasn't long before they were brought back down to earth. The draw against USA was a thoroughly dour affair, one in which the English were outplayed by a lesser team.
It has once again brought the wolves to Southgate's door. He has been heavily criticised for both his team selection and tactical approach over the last few days, with many believing he is holding this team back from reaching its full potential.
Is that really the case, or is he simply playing with the hand he has been dealt? The truth likely lies somewhere in the middle.
Damien Delaney understands Gareth Southgate's England approach
While some had been hoping to see an evolution in style from England in the 18 months since their Euro 2020 final loss, that hasn't been the case. We shouldn't be surprised by that, with Gareth Southgate showing little willingness to change his approach.
Speaking to Balls in partnership with Virgin Media, Damien Delaney said that there is one obvious explanation for England's tactical approach: their lack of options at centre back.
That's his style of management. That is what he does.
He realises with tournament football that if you go gung-ho and take the leash off, there's a chance you're going to get counterattacked and all of a sudden you're out of a tournament.
In tournament football, he is very pragmatic. I can kind of see why he is that way. He has a goalscorer in his team in Harry Kane who will score goals, so then it can come down to keeping a clean sheet.
The one area I think England are lacking in is centre back...
I think moving forward after this tournament, there will be an overhaul in that position. Gareth Southgate has probably looked at it and thought it was too close to the World Cup to integrate those players, so I'll just go with what I have.
At the moment, England are so ropey at centre back he insulates by playing two no. 6s and defensives fullbacks so they don't get caught out.
You can say it's negative from Southgate, but the job of any manager is to look at his squad and identify the best way to get that squad from point a to point b, point b being a final or winning a World Cup...
I can see why the English are upset, but I can also see why Gareth Southgate is doing what he is doing.
It is indeed true that Southgate's centre back options were hardly the most appealing heading into the tournament. John Stones was the only England regular that played consistently well this season, with Harry Maguire having completely fallen out of favour at Manchester United.
With fitness or quality concerns lingering over his other squad members in Conor Coady, Kyle Walker, and Ben White, you could see why their manager might consider a more conservative approach.
In saying that, changes could have been made in the buildup to Qatar. Southgate opted against blooding new players such as Fikayo Tomori or Marc Guehi emerging talents that could have shifted the balance in the side.
Delaney believes that the decision to leave Tomori out is particularly egregious, with the AC Milan defender having been capped only three times by England over the last few years.
In my opinion, the mistake England made is not integrating Fikayo Tomori into the team. He's young, mobile, a modern day centre back that can defend in space, in 1v1 and doesn't mind being left in a 2v2 on the halfway line...
I think if England opened up and up and played Harry Maguire and John Stones, then Declan Rice in front of them and three no. 10s, they'd get absolutely wiped out. If you played Trent and let him join in, they'd get counterattacked and opened up. Defensively they're not good enough to play that style of football and get to a major final...
They need to fix the centre back area, they will be aware of this. There are young centre backs in England coming through, Tomori being the main one.
It's a travesty that he didn't pick him. If he did pick he probably would have to play him and he probably wasn't integrated into the squad enough. It would have meant doing a complete 180 degree turn on his style.
He just went with the tried and tested, backed Harry Maguire and insulated him. He has backed John Stones and will then bring Kyle Walker in and make that a back three, play Kieran Trippier, Kalvin Phillips, and Declan Rice.
There will be a shift post-World Cup. Whether Southgate is the man to do it or not I don't know, but England do have some young modern centre backs. Until they get them in the team, they won't open up on the pitch.
Based on the first couple of games, it seems highly unlikely that this England team will be able to compete with the most talented sides at this year's World cup.
They may have the talent to do so, but Gareth Southgate has yet to find the approach that marries their obvious strengths with some of their more glaring weaknesses.
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