England team press ranked third worst at Euro 2024. So what causes this collapse?
Harry Kane admits England are unsure how to apply pressure when their opponents start to drop deeper after two poor performances at Euro 2024.
One of the many criticisms of England is that they play too deep, especially when out of possession, and thus unable to play out from the back.
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Sky Sports Gary Neville has admitted Gareth Southgate will need to make changes to his starting XI and possibly his system if he is to make the Euros a serious start.
Kane said BBC Sports: “It’s something we have to work on to get better, not just when we score goals.
“We are starting the game well, but when the opposition drops a few players deeper, we are not sure how to apply pressure or who to play.
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Sky Sports' Gary Neville takes a closer look at where England need to improve as they bid to win the Euros, and admits Trent Alexander-Arnold's use of midfield may need to change.
Gareth Southgate added: “We have played against a very fluid team in the back three. It is not easy to put pressure on them, but we definitely have to do better than these two games.”
“(Midfielder Trent Alexander-Arnold) is an experiment. We know there is no natural replacement for Kalvin Phillips, but we are trying a few different things. It's not going the way we want at the moment.”
So when do England sit deeper and what impact does that have on the media?
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Rob Dorsett has delivered his verdict on England's 1-1 draw with Denmark and believes there are real concerns about Gareth Southgate after another disappointing performance at Euro 2024.
How bad is the media?
According to the press, the numbers back up Kane's comments. England are the third-worst team in the tournament so far in terms of allowing their opponents to pass freely without intervention.
The metric visualized below measures the average number of opposition passes a team allows before taking defensive action, so lower numbers are better.
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Kaveh Solhekol believes England are lucky not to have lost against Denmark, adding that Trent Alexander-Arnold has struggled in a midfield role and Gareth Southgate's particular 'experiment' could be coming to an end.
Ukraine ranks first with the most intense pressing, allowing less than eight passes before their opponents take defensive action. The Three Lions allow more than three times as many passes to their opponents (23.1 to be exact).
So far only Romania and Albania have been less effective at Euro 2024.
Southgate's team also ranked third lowest with a high turnover rate. That's an average of just four per game.
Another indicator supports Kane's statement that England are unsure when and who is pressing in the final third, three times less than Portugal.
The graphic below shows that England have impressive defensive solidity in the defensive half, but their ineffective pressing raises red flags in the opposition half. This is the area where most English players excel for their domestic clubs.
Bukayo Saka typically poses the biggest threat by hugging the touchline in his preferred right channel, while Phil Foden can wander into more dangerous central areas and contribute to pressing problems by launching one-sided attacks.
England sitting deep: what does the data tell us?
The graphic below summarizes this perfectly. Almost every outfielder averaged in the defensive third while maintaining an early one-goal advantage for 16 minutes.
The graphic below details the way England retreated after scoring, showing the swing of the final third pass of the match. The Danish side recorded the highest level of dominance before being leveled in the 34th minute.
Against Serbia, Southgate's side started the game completely dominant, but that control gradually waned after Jude Bellingham broke the deadlock and Serbia enjoyed the lion's share of the attacking threat after the break.
Moreover, England are playing deeper than in previous tournaments. The average number of outfielders increased to four for the 2022 World Cup and six for Euro 2024. The forwards, particularly Harry Kane and Phil Foden, are also playing much deeper.
The overall message from the England camp is to remain calm. However, Kane and Southgate's comments are concerning.
The majority of England players are accustomed to the pressing style of their domestic clubs, so it appears vital that they capitalize on these qualities and find an effective balance across midfield and attack if England want to progress… at all.
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