3 ways England could improve to compete with the elite

#2 Find a midfielder who can control the game

Could Harry Winks be the missing link that allows England's midfield to control a game?

When England were defeated by Italy at Euro 2012 and again at the 2014 World Cup, the one area observers pointed to where the Three Lions were lacking was central midfield. Most notably, they pointed to the fact that Andrea Pirlo was able to control both games despite England having the likes of Steven Gerrard amongst their starting 11. It’s a problem that’s stuck with Gareth Southgate’s side despite all the progress they’ve made. For Pirlo in 2012, see Modric in 2018.

England’s World Cup squad simply didn’t include a true playmaker – the type of player able to create a chance seemingly from nothing by threading a pass through the eye of a needle – nor did it include a player capable of retaining the ball as well as a Pirlo or Modric. But thankfully, the missing piece of this puzzle might well be on the horizon.

Some of England’s younger players – players who might be able to break into the squad as early as the October internationals – could fill this role. James Maddison of Leicester, for instance, would fit the mould of the playmaker, and he’s also clearly capable of great ball retention. His stats back this up – in 2017/18 he created 8 goals and had a pass success rate of 86%, and he’s already created 1 goal in 4 Premier League appearances this season.

If England were to switch to a 3-4-3 formation – or even stick with the 3-5-2 and replace one of the ultra-attacking Lingard or Alli with a more subtle playmaker in Maddison – this would hopefully provide more protection for the holding player while also providing England’s forwards like Harry Kane with more chances.

There are others, too – Mason Mount is cut from a similar mould as Maddison but is perhaps less of the finished article, with Phil Foden in a similar boat. And Nathaniel Chalobah and Harry Winks likely wouldn’t create as many chances, but would certainly be able to retain possession in a stronger way than England currently do against sides like Spain. However, both men need more game time in order to regain their fitness after long-term injuries.

In essence, though, England do have some midfielders coming through capable of controlling a game. They just need to be given a chance – hopefully in the October international break.