World Cup Qualification - Group H
England vs Montenegro Tactical Analysis
11 October 2013
England’s must win game against Montenegro presented Roy Hodgson with his first genuine “do-or-die” challenge as England boss with the World Cup qualification to Brazil 2014 hanging in the balance. England head to the final two matches of the qualifying campaign as group leaders but with Montenegro, Ukraine and Poland in close proximity, Roy’s men must be victorious to avoid a nail-biting affair of continental play-offs and possible elimination.
If there was one word to describe England’s qualifying campaign so far then “Timid” would be my word of choice. The Three Lions collected maximum points only against the minnows of Group H with wins against Moldova and San Marino home and away – but England were found wanting when confronting their direct qualification challengers as they drew with Poland and Montenegro away as well as Ukraine home and away.
In typical Hodgson fashion, England look solid at the back while lacking the creativity going forward but most crucially Roy Hodgson is habitually setting England up to avoid defeat instead of aiming for the win.
The pressure on Hodgson’s approach mounted after England’s insipid display in Ukraine.
The appointment of a new ambitious FA chairman in Greg Dyke only added to the strain felt by Hodgson as Dyke refused to guarantee the safety of Roy’s position should England fail to qualify to Brazil 2014.
With the tension piling around the England boss and with the nation expecting a positive result, it was up to Roy Hodgson to react. In turn, England’s imperiled manager responded by digging into his personality’s hidden adventurous side.
Tactical Setup:
England:
Hodgson lined-up his team with a 4-2-3-1 formation with three forwards and a winger spearheading the Three Lion’s attack. Relying on inverted wingers, Hodgson placed Daniel Welbeck on the left wing while Tottenham’s young winger Andros Townsend was positioned on the right. Wayne Rooney and Daniel Sturridge were given a chance to establish their new partnership after previously playing a total of 30 minutes together.
The England manager decided to utilize his trusted lieutenants in center midfield as the Gerrard-Lampard partnership was restored for the 55th time during their long international careers.
In defense, Kyle Walker retained his position at right back with Glen Johnson yet to return from injury while Leighton Baines deputized for the injured Ashley Cole at left back. Hodgson stuck with his preferred selection at center back as Gary Cahill partnered Everton’s Phil Jagielka.
With England retaining possession and building an attack, the inverted wingers were asked to stretch the Montenegro defense as both Townsend and Welbeck would commence their runs from their respective touchlines. England’s fullbacks were tasked with supporting the attack by overlapping as England’s wingers would cut inside into the opposition penalty area as the attacking move progressed.
Gerrard and Lampard were assigned disciplined roles as they maintained a deeper position throughout the 90 minutes.
Montenegro:
Branko Brnovic, the Montenegro head coach, struggled with headaches of his own after losing six first-choice players including star striker Mirko Vucinic, goalkeeper Mladen Bosovic and defender Marko Basa.
The defiant Brnovic, who played down the impact of the injury crisis, set up his Montenegro side to frustrate England as his team sat deep and limited the space around their penalty area.
With Vucinic missing, Montenegro relied on the creativity of Stevan Jovetic and the physical presence of Dejan Damjanovic in attack as Brnovic looked for quick and incisive counter attacks. Stevan Jovetic was given the freedom to roam in order to use the lack of a dedicated defensive midfielder in England’s team selection.
First Half:
Roy Hodgson’s men started positively as England’s new number seven, Andros Townsend, wasted no time in introducing himself to the defenders of Montenegro with a series of direct runs starting from the half-way line.
England continued to dominate possession for long periods of the first-half but they failed to create clear cut chances to trouble keeper Vukasin Poleksic as the Three Lions lacked the penetration needed to break down the congested Montenegro defense.
Montenegro, after weathering England’s early storm unscathed, settled more into the game as the half progressed and began causing trouble through long balls over the top and into the middle of the pitch with Jovetic’s covert runs proving problematic for the likes of Gerrard and Walker.
England were finally able to create a chance of note on 40 minutes as Townsend broke into the penalty box and his saved shot reached Rooney who shot off-target.
Almost immediately, Sturridge was left unmarked from a corner delivered by Steven Gerrard but the Liverpool striker hacked at the shot and the chance went begging.
Sturridge was again presented with an opportunity to score before the half came to a close but the keeper saved well from a back heel by England’s number nine.
The referee blew the whistle for half time with Brnovic the happier of the two managers as England were left frustrated.
Second Half:
The second half started with the news confirming Ukraine’s win in the decisive game against Poland; a result which enforces the “must-win” factor on both nations in the duel between England and Montenegro.
Perhaps, the result in Kiev had a bigger impact on the psyche of Montenegro as they began the half looking to sneak a goal passed Joe Hart. In pushing forward, Brnovic’s side left a gap on their left side which Townsend utilized to maximum effect.
England’s young winger picked up the ball behind the half way line and went on a darting run towards the Montenegro byline. Townsend then sent a cross which Savic could only head onto the path of Danny Welbeck – Poleksic would save the shot from England’s number 11 but Rooney latched on to the loose ball and scored by shooting under the keeper’s desperate lunge.
The goal relaxed the nerves of the home side and inflicted more pressure on Brnovic who had to adopt more of an attacking approach for the remainder of the match to avoid elimination.
The Montenegro manager began his team’s strategic adjustment by replacing right back Pavicevic with winger Fatos Beqiraj and Zverotic tasked with deploying the right back position.
Sadly for Brnovic, with his tactical changes to the right flank still taking shape, England capitalized on the resulting uncertainty. Daniel Sturridge, who became more mobile as the match progressed, released Welbeck through a clever back-heel from England’s left wing and the pass attempted by the Manchester United forward deflected off the backtracking Boskovic and into his own net.
With the away side now looking desperate, star man Jovetic attempted a pile-driver from distance which rifled off Joe Hart’s crossbar.
Despite the scare, the comfort of a two goal cushion turned England into a much better side with the forwards now showing beautiful movement upfront aided by the calming presence of Michael Carrick in center midfield after replacing Frank Lampard. England created chance after chance with shots from Gerrard, Welbeck and Baines frightening Poleksic.
Minutes later, against the run of play, Montenegro pulled a goal back through Dejan Damjanovic. Fatos Beqiraj was allowed to shoot from outside the box with Gerrard and Baines guilty of lazy defending – the shot reached the path of Damjanovic who guided the ball home for his second goal against England during the current qualifying campaign.
The tension returned to haunt Wembley – will England through away a two-goal lead once again versus Montenegro?
The response to that question was emphatic from Roy Hodgson’s men!
England first looked to absorb the panic by enjoying a good period of calm possession instigated by Michael Carrick. Then, the brilliant Townsend ensured a full debut which will be remembered for a very long time.
Tottenham’s youngster picked up the ball around the half-way line and after a strong dribble sent a missile which hit the inside of the post and into the net.
Townsend was taken-off minutes later to a rapturous ovation from the adoring Wembley crowd and replaced by Jack Wilshere.
After England’s third, Brnovic threw the towel and brought off Jovetic for Kasalica as Montenegro began to tire both physically and mentally.
Hodgson looked to gain a strangle hold on the match for the remaining minutes by strengthening England’s center midfield with the introduction of James Milner. The change saw England line up in a 4-3-3 formation with Rooney now placed on the left wing and Welbeck moving to the right side.
The Three Lions capped off an impressive performance with Daniel Sturridge earning a penalty in the final minute of added-on time and scoring the resulting spot-kick to take the score-line to a resounding 4-1.
Verdict:
Full credit must go to Roy Hodgson for embracing an adventurous strategy in such “do-or-die” settings and the result was one of England’s better performances in recent years.
After the match, Hodgson stressed that picking Andros Townsend was not an easy decision: “We agonized over selecting Andros Townsend. We argued back and forth and had a lot of time to think about it.” Hodgson said. “To leave people like Jack Wilshere and James Milner out, with all the good work he's put in for us in this group and the attacking flair they bring, was not easy.“
"But we envisaged something and it came off. “ Hodgson continued. “We thought Andros's pace against a packed defense would open doors.”
Roy’s vision came to reality after Andros Townsend became the catalyst to a critical triumph.
Hodgson must also be applauded for his reading of the match. The introduction of Michael Carrick for Frank Lampard was an inspired move which brought much needed solidity and assurance to England’s midfield.
England have been stifled by the weight of expectations and fear of loss on several occasions over the last few years. Watching England play with such attacking verve was a joy to behold as the shackles were dropped and the forwards were allowed the freedom to put their opponents to the sword.
Still, this was a game which was always dependant on who would score the first goal. Had Montenegro been able to use England’s gaps in center midfield then this would have a completely different article.
England enjoyed the “ideal case situation” in key moments of the match as they were able to score immediately after half time, established a two-goal cushion and then score right after conceding to calm down their nerves but that should come as no surprise as fortune usually favors the brave.
Advantage Roy Hodgson – now the England manager must choose which persona to don before the decider against Poland.
*Interview with Roy Hodgson was taken from theguardian.com by Dominic Fifield
No comments:
Post a Comment