No midfield controller

Gareth Southgate was acutely aware that England lack a player with the technical and tactical ability to control the midfield. They do not have a Luka Modric (left) or an Ivan Rakitic or, as with France, the other finalists, an N’golo Kante or Paul Pogba. Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard all leave this World Cup with their reputations enhanced but the biggest task for Southgate is finding someone who can set the tempo from midfield and run the game in the way that Modric does. He knows it – hence why he went with a 3-5-2 formation in the first place.