Precision during set-pieces key to England’s success

NIZHNY NOVGOROD: There is a bit of Sam Allardyce in the way England have won games at the World Cup. Allardyce’s teams have usually been good at set-pieces and that is an area that the Three Lions have excelled in this summer in Russia.

But unlike the recently-sacked Everton manager who was Gareth Southgate’s predecessor as England coach, the latter’s approach to set-pieces has been more complex than just putting his tall and strong players inside the box and hoping one of them would get at the end of the ball.

Of their 11 goals in this tournament, England have scored from three penalties, two of which have resulted from corner-kicks. Four other goals have come from corner-kick deliveries. Another goal was the result of a well-executed free-kick routine.

It is clear that Southgate has worked on this particular aspect after England’s struggled from set-pieces in the last three major tournaments. It is also likely to be crucial when England face Croatia in the semi-final. England’s routine involves having three or four players stand together on the edge of the box before a corner. Harry Kane and Harry Maguire are usual fixtures in these and both were involved on Saturday evening when the latter scored.

With Jordan Henderson and Dele Alli marked inside the box, Kane, Maguire, Raheem Sterling and John Stones lined up near the line demarcating the penalty box.

As the delivery came in, Stones took a few steps to his right to recover the ball in case it crossed the players in the middle. Both Henderson and Alli rushed forward and dragged their markers away from the ball. Sterling walked forward but had a defender marking him.

Then Kane ran forward and he was immediately surrounded by two Swedish defenders. His decoy run left Maguire with space. As the Leicester City defender took his leap, Emil Forsberg, who was marking Sterling, made a lastditch attempt at reaching the ball. His jump wasn’t enough and Maguire scored. It was a routine executed to its finest details and in stark contrast to the team’s dishevelled set-pieces two years back at the European Championships. Kane had been in charge of taking the corners in that tournament, robbing England of their main target man to finish off chances inside the box.