[ES-EN] Inglaterra, un finalista que no convence del todo

Mientras el equipo se encierre en la formación de tres defensores con Saka como carrilero en lugar de extremo (me parece un desperdicio), el partido de Inglaterra se vuelve lento, haciendo que Kane suela estar muy solo en el ataque, al igual que Bellingham. Teniendo básicamente de los mejores del mundo en varias posiciones como lo es Rice, quien desde mi parecer solo es superado por Rodri en la posición de pivote defensivo, Saka que es top 3 en extremos izquierdos, se encuentra en la plantilla Foden y Cole Palmer quienes vienen de hacer una temporada extraordinaria.

¿Southgate, Mediocre o Genio?

A pesar de que podemos realizar innumerables argumentos en contra del juego de la selección inglesa, esta llega a una nueva final luego de décadas, ni siquiera aquel equipo espectacular con Beckham, Gerrard, Lampard, Ferdinand, Rooney, Cole y demás estrellas de la primera década del 2000 pudieron hacer, llegar a una final de un torneo internacional relevante.

Algo que nos ha enseñado el propio Real Madrid, es que no necesitas ser el favorito del torneo para ser el campeón, tampoco ser superior al rival, a pesar de todos los riesgos desde un punto de vista táctico, todo lo determina la efectividad de las ocasiones de gol, después de todo, el partido lo gana quien más goles haya anotado, no quien mejor jugó durante todo el partido. Son cosas que tiene el fútbol que puede desalentar al ver algunos partidos; sin embargo, todo esto es parte de este hermoso deporte.

Al final de cuentas son los resultados que cuentan, por lo que Inglaterra, jugando de una manera extremadamente conservadora y con un funcionamiento reprochable, ha conseguid llegar a la final de la Eurocopa contra la que posiblemente puede ser la mejor selección del mundo en estos momentos que es España.

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En lo particular, veo como favorito el equipo español, por lo que posiblemente Southgate vuelva a utilizar a los 3 centrales, haciendo que Saka tenga que cubrir a Williams en un doble marcaje por derecha y lo propio entre Trippier y Stones con Lamine Yamal.

Gracias por tu lectura, hasta la próxima

[English Version]

Finals Sunday

Tomorrow is an interesting day, rarely do we have two finals of high relevance tournaments in the same day, however, both the Euro Cup and the Copa America come to an end tomorrow, so I want to comment my opinions regarding the game of these 4 teams in which two of them, will see the glory of placing in their showcases a new international trophy.

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Euro Cup

All eyes are on Europe first because this match starts before the Copa America final, it is a match with two teams that have a lot of talent and that either can win, however, the main difference lies in the style of play and performance they have shown in this tournament.

England

We could say that England is one of the teams that has played the worst football, taking into account their squad that overflows with talent, watching England's matches has been boring (we must admit it), maybe if there was no penalty shootout or that agonizing goal by Jude Bellingham that gives emotion to a match, then the same happens against the Netherlands, when in the 90th minute Ollie Watkins scores the goal that gives them the ticket to the final of the tournament.

How does the England team play?

Since the group stages, the British team has played with a clear 4-2-3-1 formation, at a slow and conservative pace, too much for many fans who expected to see a fast-paced and lethal England team. Although some yawns were part of the England team's games, they manage to overcome the obstacles, however, in both the quarter-final and semi-final, Gareth Southgate made a change in strategy, although it didn't seem to have much bearing on the final results.

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Against both Switzerland and the Netherlands, the tactical formation changed to a 3-4-2-1, a formation that changes depending on the moment of the match, which would (in theory) give it greater dynamism, which translates into mobility and surprise against opponents, especially on the counter-attack.

In this England formation, Southgate does not place 3 natural central defenders, only Stones and Marc Guéhi are central defenders, which places Walker as a false third centre-back, as his position is more towards the right flank. It's a move he's used to making at Manchester City, so it's a strategy Southgate has used in this tournament.

The interesting thing about this approach is that it can change shape depending on the needs of the England team at any given moment, perhaps the priority may be to defend and with this 3 centre backs scheme it becomes a watertight team because even though Walker is not a centre back, it is very difficult for another player to beat him in speed, On the other hand, if the team wants to attack or create a counter attack, Walker becomes a right back giving more offensive protagonism to one of the most unbalanced players in the world, Bukayo Saka who for me is one of the best right wingers in the world, having an amazing facility to make the move into the field and shoot at goal.

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As long as the team is locked into the three defender formation with Saka as a winger instead of a winger (seems like a waste to me), England's game becomes sluggish, making Kane very often alone in attack, as does Bellingham. Having basically the best in the world in several positions such as Rice, who in my opinion is only bettered by Rodri in the defensive pivot position, Saka who is a top 3 left winger, Foden and Cole Palmer who are coming off the back of an extraordinary season.

Southgate, Mediocre or Genius?

Although we can make countless arguments against the England team's play, they are reaching another final after decades, not even that spectacular team with Beckham, Gerrard, Lampard, Ferdinand, Rooney, Cole and other stars of the first decade of the 2000s could make it to the final of a major international tournament.

Something that Real Madrid itself has taught us is that you don't need to be the tournament favourite to be the champion, nor do you need to be superior to your opponent, despite all the risks from a tactical point of view, everything is determined by the effectiveness of the goal chances, after all, the match is won by whoever has scored the most goals, not by whoever played the best throughout the match. There are things about football that can be discouraging when watching some matches; however, this is all part of this beautiful sport.

At the end of the day it is the results that count, which is why England, playing extremely conservatively and with a reprehensible performance, have managed to reach the final of the European Championship against arguably the best team in the world right now, Spain.

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In particular, I see the Spanish team as favourites, so Southgate will probably use the 3 centre-backs again, with Saka having to cover Williams in a double marking on the right and the same between Trippier and Stones with Lamine Yamal.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

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