Who Needs a Midfield?

England have, undeniably, progressed since the World Cup. They have fashioned a fearsome front line with Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho all firing. And they have claimed excellent victories against Spain and Croatia.s

But a similar problem still persists: a lack of quality and imagination in midfield. Last night against the Netherlands, that shortcoming was painfully obvious.

Frenkie de Jong, just 22 years old, helped control the midfield for the Dutch and dominate possession of the ball. Yes, goals came from individual errors, but it was the pressure applied by this Holland side and the gap in quality which was the true root of the problem.

Martin Tyler seemed to enjoy bleating down his microphone about the woes and risks of playing out from the back. At one point, he seemed to make the surreal suggestion that it was giving pub team players ideas of football beyond their station. Just kick it long lads.

Of course, Tyler complete misses the subtleties in this situation.

It is becoming widely accepted at the top level that building from the back is generally the way forward. Pep Guardiola has helped ensure that, though it would be far from the truth to claim that he is the only manager who preaches such a style. Most top level managers would likely consider themselves disciples of ‘attractive’ football.

So the issue isn’t the chosen style - the issue is application and decision making in key moments. It is a factor that is relevant across all styles of football.

In long ball football, it is the difference between a well weighted ball in between the centre back and full back and an aimless punt onto a defenders head. In possession based football, it is the difference between a line splitting pass into midfield and a poorly executed Cruyff turn on the edge of the area.

Those were the two extremes John Stones experienced in Portugal. Nearing the end of full time, an excellent bit of play from the Man City man started a flowing attack which led to Jesse Lingard’s disallowed strike. Had Lingard been just a few millimetres slower, then we would probably be talking about the vitality of Stones’s on the ball ability.

It was a lovely move that brought about Lingard’s disallowed goal, and one that stood out even more due to the fact that it was an anomaly for England.

The Three Lions struggled all night to effectively work the ball out from the back, while the Dutch effortlessly worked passing angles and quick one-twos. If you look at the personnel, it really is no surprise.

De Jong and Gini Wijnaldum against Declan Rice and Fabian Delph. It was only ever going to go one way.

Rice has been touted as a solution for England in the deep lying midfield role. Someone who not only can defend effectively, but also has an intelligent and wide range of passing. It became painstakingly clear last night that this was not the case.

Initially it seemed like the struggles in possession were that of the defence. But Stones and Harry Maguire can only pass to players who are making themselves available in good positions. Rice and Delph were way off the mark with this.

Indeed, it appeared they were hiding behind Dutch players for much of the match. Kind of like a 5aside player who, having wolfed down a large plate of spaghetti bolognese before leaving, has just done a 10 yard sprint and needs to rest for a couple of minutes.

But all hope for England is not lost. Many have touted Harry Winks as a potential for the No6 role. Maybe not as defensively effective as Rice, but far better in possession. And Jordan Henderson, despite not starting, injected plenty of life into the England midfield when he came on.

Then there are the young talents coming through, such as James Maddison and Phil Foden. They are players who provide plenty of creative spark, as does Jack Grealish. His progress with Aston Villa of late has been excellent, and it will be interesting to see how he gets on back in the Premier League.

Maddison-Winks-Henderson? Alli-Henderson-Foden? Grealish-Winks-Maddison? There are plenty of midfield combinations that could come into fruition over the coming months. While last night’s display was disappointing, there is hope that the Three Lions can compliment their scintillating attack with a midfield that can effectively provide.