England's line-up in June?
This month’s 3-1 victory over Egypt vaguely enhanced the impression that England could have their best World Cup since 1966. Likewise England struggled sufficiently in the first half-hour of the game to demonstrate that a dismal implosion in South Africa is conceivable.
The difference between success and failure at a major tournament can be very slight, but Fabio Capello has instilled a coherence and stability which can propel England past their ‘natural’ quarter-final berth. Capello has built the team structure around 4-4-2 but with Rooney as a withdrawn forward, and Barry and Lampard providing a secure midfield base it errs towards 4-2-3-1. This provides a stable platform, but Capello will tweak the structure to address the specific requirements of a game. The approach can shift to a more unambiguous 4-2-3-1 with Gerrard central and Rooney on the left. This can be either a defensive move to place an extra resource in central midfield, or an attacking move pushing towards 4-3-3.
An example of Capello’s flexible approach was indicated when England were up against the 3-5-2 of Egypt. England were chasing the ball for periods in the first-half, but then Steven Gerrard took up a more fixed central position behind the forwards. As Egypt only had one player on either flank, Gerrard could take up a more central playmaking role without England being overrun on the left.
In the past when England deviated from 4-4-2 it often seemed like an arbitrary and desperate approach to reconcile players with a system. Sven Goran-Erikkson tried a 4-3-3 against Northern Ireland in a qualifier for World Cup 2006. This was in an endeavour to incorporate David Beckham in a central role with Shaun Wright-Phillips on the right flank. The outcome was a 1-0 defeat. Steve McClaren also tried a 3-5-2 formation against Croatia for a Euro 2008 qualifier without success. In comparison, Capello applies a coherent strategy, which enables both tactical consistency and flexibility. His principal approach is clear and amendments are made as a considered response to a particular situation – rather than an ad hoc attempt to wring some cohesion from the team.
At the same point in 2006, England’s approach was far less coherent than it is now. For example, it appeared that Erikkson could not decide on the most appropriate arrangement of his central midfield. In the months before Germany 06 he tried Ledley King, Owen Hargreaves, Michael Carrick and Jamie Carragher in defensive midfield, before settling on the more familiar but much maligned Gerrard/Lampard pairing for the start of the tournament. As South Africa approaches, Capello seems to have addressed such fundamental questions long ago: he has persisted from the outset of the qualifiers with an increasingly effective Lampard/Barry central-midfield combination, with Gerrard in a flexible niche on the left. There will be many matters to consider as this year’s tournament approaches, but at least there shouldn’t be excessive floundering about the shape and composition of central-midfield.
The questions which have arisen are an outcome of the variable fitness and form of the players, rather than equivocation on the part of the coach. The key area of uncertainty presently relates to the personnel that might be included in the team/squad at wide midfield. If Walcott returns to form then he will be first-choice to make the XI at right-midfield, but on recent evidence he could even miss the squad. With Gerrard looking a virtual certainty for left-midfield, Capello has to select his other wide-men from Walcott, Aaron Lennon, Joe Cole, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Stewart Downing.