What about Tuchel’s tactics?
“It is clear that the plan is to attempt to be a more physically imposing, ball-dominant and exciting team,” added Irfan.
“To start, England have played in a 4-4-1-1 shape. Then, in build-up, they have moved between two common shapes, a 2-3-5 and a 3-2-5 with the full-backs key to this.
“In the 3-2-5, one full-back will accompany two centre-backs. The three at the back in possession is used as a solution to build up around certain opposition shapes, with the additional player providing an extra passing option.
“When the shape becomes a 2-3-5, both full-backs are often used either side of a defensive midfielder, usually Declan Rice.
“This does two things. Firstly, it frees the second central midfielder to push up. This has been Morgan Rogers and Curtis Jones on occasion. Secondly, it also ensures that central areas behind the ball are occupied by good defenders, providing structural and individual defensive quality.
“England’s attacking midfielder and striker still drop deep to show for the ball like they did under Southgate. This opens up space down the middle for players to run into after an opposition central defender has been dragged out of position. Runs from deep areas including from full-backs like Lewis-Skelly have exploited these spaces well.
“Tuchel’s attack is positional in nature, with players occupying specific zones on the pitch, but he encourages rotations between these zones, as long as somebody is in each zone.
“Marcus Rashford, Jude Bellingham and Lewis-Skelly have rotated well between their respective three positions in order to attack more dangerously. The wingers primarily hold the width, however, with Tuchel wanting his most exciting players taking advantage of these situations, compared to other coaches who prefer full-backs out wide.”
