alfie wrote:Not saying Southgates tactics were all right - a lot of opinion comes into that judgement - but given the players he had at his disposal I'd suggest he has been right a lot more than the other. And to suggest he is tactically clueless and should be shown the door strikes me as just the sort of foolishness that has held English football back for years
Put this argument into footballing context. He picked a squad with none of the potential passing midfielders at his disposal included, then when he finds himself 1-0 up but unable to stop the Croatians playing, he goes a whole half being dominated while Dier, Delph, Loftus-Cheek and Phil Jones (who can play there) sat on the bench. We just threw the ball up to a striker who is tiny, and gave him no support for the second ball. So the plan was essentially just to lose the ball.
When he did make a change, he put a direct running forward on with very little aerial ability, and continued. Rashford was relegated to chasing shadows. When we went 2-1 down he brought on Vardy, the biggest counter attacking threat we have, but who plays off the shoulder of the last man exclusively, and is not any use when a team goes back and plays a compact 2 bank of 4 style football. Obviously Southgate never watched Leicester win the league when Vardy was a menace playing the exact type of bloody football we were when 1-0 up. Nor has he ever watched Rashford, because I dont think I have ever seen him played as a target man.
He asked Alli, a creative 10, to do nothing but track the advancing right back and at the same time cover Modric.... he ended in no mans land knackered doing neither. Lingard similarly had to cover Rakitic and Strinic, the same. Meanwhile our full backs were 30 yards away standing still, marking wingers while the Croatian full backs danced in acres of space on the byline throwing balls into the box. Sterling did well, and was replaced. Kane did nothing, and stayed on. All the changes he made were wrong, ill thought out, and made no sense. It was like he was watching a different game, unable to read or respond to the moment. What type of manager watches his team get utterly dominated but 1-0, and keeps two strikers up top? Especially when his team are dropping deeper and deeper.
It leaves two conclusions. He either has no understanding of tactics and how his own players fit inside them.... or he frankly lost his mind and his balls. Neither lead to a conclusion that he is right for the future of English football.