ENGLAND are preparing to kick off yet another World Cup qualifying campaign.
In recent years, the Three Lions have cruised into the finals before stuttering in the tournament proper.
The 2018 World Cup in Russia saw England reach the semi-finals – their best major tournament showing since Euro 1996 on home soil.
Gareth Southgate has named his first squad for the tournament qualifying games – with England taking on San Marino (H), Albania (A) and Poland (H) later this month.
The 26-man group looks jam-packed with top talent and young guns.
But Southgate’s job will not only to be getting them into the tournament, but also sculpting a team capable of winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
With just 18 months to get his tactics nailed down, Southgate could use the first three qualifiers to experiment with his formations and personnel.
We’ve taken a look at FIVE different formations England could utilise to great effect in the coming international break…
3-4-3
IN the biggest games – such as the qualifier with Poland – England are likely to run a 3-4-3.
The beauty of this set-up is the flexibility – with Southgate having the players to pull it off.
In Walker, England have a player used to playing on the right-side of a back-three who is also more than capable of covering the right flank, allowing Reece James to attack.
Luke Shaw will also be given free reign to keep up his red-hot Manchester United form in attack.
With Maguire and Stones, England have good height at the back, with Declan Rice also a strapping presence covering in the more defensive of the two midfield roles.
Alongside Rice, Southgate could opt to play a more attack-minded midfielder, such as Mason Mount, Jude Bellingham or even Jesse Lingard instead of a Kalvin Phillips or James Ward-Prowse type.
England have plenty of attacking options, with Harry Kane the obvious starter for the big games through the middle.
On the wings, England could opt to deploy any of Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling or Phil Foden – which is a great selection dilemma for Southgate to have.
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4-3-3
FOR years the 4-3-3 was the ‘new 4-4-2’ – the go-to formation for most managers in world football.
And it could work wonders for England, too.
In a back-four, England would be able to keep Stones and Maguire in the middle, with any of Shaw, James, Ben Chilwell or Kieran Trippier at full-back – with Walker another option.
In midfield, England can field a well-rounded trio from their group.
Mount, Rice and Ward-Prowse boast a superb blend of defensive ability, attacking impetus and range of passing.
But Phillips, Lingard and Bellingham are all more than capable of breaking into the starting XI without England missing a beat.
Ward-Prowse’s sensational set-piece skill is another huge positive.
Similarly to the 3-4-3, England have plenty of attacking options to play with.
3-4-1-2
THIS is certainly an intriguing option for Southgate, with a superb mix of attacking and defensive capabilities.
In defence, a rock-solid back-three of Stones, Conor Coady and Maguire blend height, speed, strength and ball-playing ability in equal measure.
James and Shaw taking up the wing-back positions give England plenty of width in attack, but with having three centre-halves and Rice in midfield ensure their defensive chores will be lessened.
In truth, England could play any of their midfielders alongside Rice.
But Bellingham could be the perfect foil sitting in the middle, as the beating heart between Rice and Foden in the No10 slot.
This formation also allows for two central strikers, with Rashford and Kane surely the starters.
However, Sterling would fancy his chances of replacing either Rashford or Foden in this style.
4-2-3-1
IT’S less flexible than the 3-4-1-2 and therefore slightly more predictable, but in the 4-2-3-1 England will have a solid base from which to work.
A back-four would be protected by two deeper midfielders, with Rice and one of Phillips or Ward-Prowse likely to take that role.
In attack, Kane would have three attacking midfielders for support, with the likes of Saka, Sterling, Rashford and Foden vying for a two places.
The only slight downside to the 4-2-3-1 is the full-backs will be asked to prioritise their defensive duties, with the opportunities down the win in attack hindered.
3-1-4-2
A VARIATION on a theme, the 3-1-4-2 could arguably be more attacking than the 3-4-1-2.
With a compact back-three – and Rice as a defensive midfielder – England will not be broken down through the middle.
James and Shaw will have to track back, but in attack, they can join an attacking central midfield duo of Foden and Mount, for example, with two centre-forwards ahead of them.
This formation allows England to attack hard with SIX players without compromising their defence.
But in defence, they also have a compact six, providing the wing-backs provide support.
It would be exhausting, but with plenty of strength in the squad in the full-back and wing-back spots, Southgate can push them every game, rotate the next and still never miss a beat.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
