England Get Their Rewards for Reverting to Basics Against Switzerland

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: September 9, 2014

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When push comes to shove, football can essentially be a very simple game. It all boils down to 22 men trying to kick a piece of leather into a net, but thanks to managers and tactics, the game can be made incredibly confusing at times.

Formations such as 4-3-3, 4-5-1, 4-2-3-1, and even the re-emergence of 3-5-2 makes for a lot of head scratching, and a lot of dilemmas being posed to fans on a regular basis. That's all down to trying to get the upper hand on your opponents, but on Monday night in Basel, England simply reverted to the basics to get a result against Switzerland. And as if by magic, it worked to dramatic effect.

Their 2-0 victory against a Swiss side who are placed higher than them in FIFA's rankings was a great start to their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. And, given the bizarre qualifying structure, it pretty much guarantees they'll make the finals after just one game.

Roy Hodgson, a man who had been under real pressure before the game, got it right on the night in Basel. He finally remembered that in order to bring the best out of your key players, you have to play them in position.

The core of England's success was built around the man at the point of the midfield diamond, as well as their two strikers. First, the captain. Wayne Rooney has almost become England's proverbial scapegoat in recent years, but he's been hindered by the fact he gets constantly played out of position for his country.

Yet last night, Hodgson opted to play him upfront alongside former Manchester United compatriot Danny Welbeck. And it produced some sparkling link-up play from the England captain, as well as a couple of chances he might have been expected to take.

However, he's clearly low on confidence at the moment, but a strong performance like the one he delivered on Monday night (in most areas of the pitch) will hopefully see his confidence levels come soaring back. Louis van Gaal must learn from that...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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