WITH THE 2020 European Championships kicking off later today, Shane Keegan takes a look at the major tactical dilemmas teams will face at both ends of the field.
The Defensive Third – Back three or back four?
Long gone are the tournaments of the nineties and early noughties where any side employing anything other than a traditional back four was seen as outlier.
Close on half of the teams at Euro 2020 are expected to roll out a back three for at least one of their group games, but most will do so without fully committing to it for the duration of the competition.
England defensive pair Kyle Walker and John Stones.
Source: Mike Egerton
This, in itself, represents a departure from the norm. Previously, tactical tinkering from game to game was expected in the final third, and maybe even in midfield, but at the back it was all about having a consistent settled unit. But this tournament will see sides bouncing between defensive systems depending on their opponents’ set-ups.
The best case in point is England. In Kyle Walker, they have a player who is equally comfortable thrusting forward from right-back or playing more conservatively on the right of a back three, leaving the marauding runs down that flank to La Liga victor Kieran Trappier or Champions League winner Reece James.
Harry Maguire and John Stones, the other centre back starters irrespective of formation, come into the tournament on the back of strong domestic campaigns.
They are both comfortable in possession and will prompt England’s attacks. Maguire was ranked in the top 5 defenders in the Premier League this season for ‘most successful passes completed’ and Stones did likewise for ‘percentages of passes successfully completed’.
But can they defend well enough on a consistent basis to win a tournament?
Two sides that offer an interesting contrast between defensive approaches are Italy and Belgium. The similarities in terms of experience are obvious. For Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bunucci, 207 caps between them, read Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld, who have 233 caps.
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