Gareth Southgate's safety-first tactics backfired against the USA and changes are a must in the final group game against Wales
Those areas indeed. Southgate has a reluctance to play players in positions they do not occupy for their clubs. Since Foden has peak Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva in front of him at the Etihad, Guardiola tends to accommodate him in wide positions. It is a compromise that suits both player and team. Guardiola demands discipline and commitment. Foden stands where he is told. Interestingly he has been starting on the bench for Guardiola latterly. Again that is a luxury option.
What England lacked against a mobile, well-drilled, aggressive United States was a pause button, a nimble point of difference, a player to control the tempo, pick the pass, to bring others into the game. With, Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka both suffered as a result. Instead of being fed quick passes that put them behind defenders, they had to make do with slow ball in front of their markers.
Guardiola has showed us how it is possible to win expansively, by smothering the opposition with adventure and flair. Southgate has the players to do this but his default position is narrow functionality. The reaction in the stadium tells us what the fans think of this approach. That feeling of deflation and disappointment was shared by millions watching at home.
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