Lack of playmaker makes Kane’s England less able
Gareth Southgate named his 23-man squad ahead of the World Cup, one thing evident about England was the absence of a genuine playmaker.
Jack Wilshere, perhaps the only experienced option available to Southgate, was always unlikely to be selected after his struggles at Arsenal.
Over the years, England have been spoilt for choice in midfield. So much so that even Paul Scholes, prior to his early retirement, often found himself being played out of position on the left.
In Russia, however, the tireless Jordan Henderson in the middle has no playmaking option to complement him.
It couldn’t have been more evident than against Colombia when the opposition’s overtly physical approach left England struggling to create chances.
In the absence of James Rodriguez, Jose Pekerman played to his strengths and offered England little space in the middle or the front third.
Playing a low defensive line, Pekerman also tried to prevent counter-attacks and neutralise England’s pace advantage.
In response, Gareth Southgate’s team offered little. One may accuse Raheem Sterling,
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Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard of being wasteful but it was never going to be easy to get out of Colombia’s defensive stranglehold. England survived, partly due to Colombia’s own inability to attack more and assert themselves in midfield.
As the game progressed, the supply line to Kane was far from functioning smoothly. Kane often ran back to his midfield to try and create space for his teammates up front. Even the introduction of Marcus Rashford late in the game didn’t liven things up.
In the quarter-final against Sweden, England won’t meet a side this physical. What they will face is a team more organised and disciplined defensively. Sweden’s own playmaking options are limited but England are unlikely to have it any easier in trying to control the game.
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