Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images.
England finished their 2018 World Cup qualification campaign with a 1-0 win over Lithuania, so here’s a look at how they could lineup for the World Cup.
Gareth Southgate has tried a few different formations to get the best out of his team; a 3-4-3 formation looks most likely because of the defensive solidity that it offers. It enables key positions of strength in the team to excel such as the wing-backs and the forwards.
The formation also helps the team because it acts a ‘safety net’ which helps reduce the danger of mistakes caused by nerves that inevitably appear when England play at a big tournament.
Playing a 3-4-3 formation rather than a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 limits the amount of attacking options on the pitch. This could lead to some hard decisions for Southgate, but it brings the added solidity.
Based on his time in charge, Southgate seems like a pragmatic manager who prioritises results over the performance quality. Therefore, he seems willing to make the hard decisions rather than appeasing all the key creative players by fitting them into the team.
second most errors</a> leading to goals in Europe’s top five leagues with 5. England can’t afford to have such a liability in the net.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/10/england-projected-starting-xi-2018-world-cup/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Centre-backs </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-442819" src=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/10/england-projected-starting-xi-2018-world-cup/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F10%2F859019034-lithuania-v-england-fifa-2018-world-cup-qualifier.jpg-850x560.jpg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><p class="wp-caption-text">Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images.</p>
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<h3>Centre-backs</h3>
<p>The first centre-back in Southgate’s starting XI should be John Stones. Playing three at the back suits him because it allows him to come out of the defence with the ball. This means he can utilise his range of passing to break through opposition lines and start attacking moves. This extra attacking penetration is useful when the opposition concedes possession in order to keep their defensive shape.</p>
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<p>Michael Keane and Phil Jones should be the two centre-backs either side of him. Gary Cahill and Chris Smalling are the only other major contenders for these roles. The issue with both of them is that they are unreliable and are prone to switching off mentally at key moments. Cahill does bring plenty of experience to the team, but this could easily be just as useful if he was used as the backup fourth centre-back.</p>
<p>An organised backline doesn’t necessarily need lots of experience because familiarity between the players is more important. This is why Southgate needs to ensure that his first-choice defence plays as many games together as possible.</p>
<p>Jones has started the season well with confident performances for both England and Manchester United. He has shown that he is comfortable as part of both a 4 man and 5 man defence, which is useful for England.</p>
<p>Keane has been a bright spark in a struggling Everton team that has plenty of issues. Their lack of pace makes them predictable and invites pressure when defending, and Keane has had to deal with abject performances from his defensive partner Ashley Williams.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/10/england-projected-starting-xi-2018-world-cup/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Wing-backs </a>
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<h3>Wing-backs</h3>
<p>England has some impressive depth in this area. The first choices for these roles are clear, though, because Kyle Walker and Danny Rose give the team an added attacking dimension. They balance their defensive and attacking duties well. The key strength that they bring is their ability to beat a man which makes them stand out for the contenders.</p>
<p>Kieran Trippier and Ryan Bertrand are both excellent crossers, but they can make England’s play predictable because they rely on this. Closing them down limits them and this hinders England’s attacking threat due to the struggles with central penetration. Therefore, wing-backs that can successfully take-on other players are important in order to expose the opposition defence and create space for the attacking players.</p>
<p>Nathaniel Clyne is another contender, but he lacks Walker’s ability to provide a constant attacking threat. However, he is a more than capable backup if Walker is unavailable for the tournament.</p>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-442821" src=https://playingfor90.com/2017/10/10/england-projected-starting-xi-2018-world-cup/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F10%2F859031294-lithuania-v-england-fifa-2018-world-cup-qualifier.jpg-850x560.jpg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><p class="wp-caption-text">Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images.</p>
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<h3>Central midfield</h3>
<p>Getting the right partnership in this area is key due to the influence that they have on matches. Jordan Henderson and Eric Dier don’t work well because of the lack of incisive passing that they provide. Dier and Jake Livermore proved to be too defensive even for big games because the added defensive protection it offered wasn’t worth the lack of creativity.</p><div class="widget fs_ads"> <div class="fs_ad_widget-ad" style="margin:0 auto; width: 300px;"> <div class="fs-ll-ad" data-ad-type="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-vendor="minutemedia">
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<p>The solution for this is a Tottenham player who made his debut against Lithuania: Harry Winks. He provides a mixture of ball retention and creativity from central areas. On top of this, he is also able to break the opposition lines using his dribbling. He was man of the match against Lithuania as he passed forward and helped progression up the pitch wherever possible. This didn’t come at the expense of accuracy because he was successful with 95 of his 99 passes.</p>
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