Former player NGUYEN TUAN PHONG: Southgate needs to decide...

This is an old problem of the "Three Lions". They score, take the lead or slow down, slow down and take the initiative in defense but the defense in this match was sometimes loose and unfocused.

Former player NGUYEN TUAN PHONG

In previous Euro seasons, the "Three Lions" did not always start smoothly and convincingly. England players were often overloaded by the Premier League, causing them to have a bad start in both Euro and World Cup.

England's attack line seems to have 4 default positions always reserved for Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden. It is quite unfortunate that Phil Foden is on the left wing. The 2000-born player's forte is in the position of Saka (right wing) or attacking midfielder (Bellingham).

In the midfield, Declan Rice paired with Trent Alexander-Arnold, a pure right winger, could not perform at his best when he needed someone to cover him from a low position to advance. Even Arnold - a classy player but a worrying player if he played in this position throughout the tournament with his improvisational style of play, lacking security when facing strong opponents.

Another concern is that goalkeeper Pickford - who came from Everton - is used to passing long balls. The current tactical thinking of teams is to develop short balls from the back and England have John Stones, Walker (Man City) or Rice (Arsenal) who are very familiar with this philosophy but cannot apply it.

In the remaining two matches of the group stage, Southgate needs to be more decisive and sacrifice to bring about better things. Even a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation with 1 right winger and 2 left wingers similar to Man City will control and play better with the current personnel.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/cuu-tuyen-thu-nguyen-tuan-phong-southgate-can-quyet-doan-hon-19624061721333802.htm