After two entire days without football, the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals are finally here. The most awaited encounter is between two European heavy hitters. With two of the best squads in the competition, France and England entered the Qatar World Cup as some of the favourites to win it all. The two nations will face off rather early though, in a historic quarter-final encounter.
In the lead-up to the competition, the French camp was surrounded by criticism, doubts, and injuries. A few weeks before, their midfield was depleted as Juventus’ Paul Pogba and Chelsea’s N’Golo Kanté suffered serious injuries. The nightmare continued with Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema, PSG’s Presnel Kimpembé, and RB Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku all being ruled out of this year’s World Cup.
Nonetheless, Kylian Mbappé has led one of the best attacks in the competition, and Les Bleus have constantly confirmed their status as favourites. The best attack, however, is northwest of France. With 12 goals, England have been one of the most terrifying nations so far. Gareth Southgate’s side has a balance between youth and experience, and it has proven beyond fruitful.
While both nations have been excellent, only one can move forward. This tactical analysis will provide a tactical preview of the anticipated quarter-final between England and France. Looking at the tactics behind this match, this analysis will preview where the edge may lie for each team.
Team news
Unfortunately for England, Didier Deschamps will not have much trouble with his starting eleven. Although Mbappé missed a training session ahead of the tie, France’s star player will be leading the attack without a problem.
Their usual 4-2-3-1 should be expected, with Hugo Lloris in goal, and Jules Koundé, Dayot Upamecano, Raphaël Varane, and Theo Hernández forming the back four. In the midfield, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Adrien Rabiot sit behind Antoine Griezmann as a free-roaming 10. Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé are the wingers with Olivier Giroud up top.
There is nowhere near as much certainty in the English camp. Although Raheem Sterling is back in Qatar, Declan Rice is a doubt for the match with a recent illness. The biggest doubt is in their formation, as Southgate tries to deal with the threat posed by Mbappé.
If the English manager opts for a 4-3-3, a similar starting lineup from the Senegal match can be expected, except with a probable introduction of Sterling over Phil Foden. However, many believe Southgate will go back to his favourite 5-2-3. This would significantly impact their attacking dynamic, but it would provide a safer structure to deal with France’s left side. In this scenario, Kyle Walker would become the wide centre-back while Kieran Trippier comes in as the right wing-back.
Gaining control
Regardless of the structure Southgate adopts, their behaviour is likely to be the same. England will try to assume control of the match from the very beginning, as they have throughout this tournament. This is done through their aggressive high defensive block, which has averaged a PPDA of just 8.26 in their four matches so far. Against Senegal, specifically, they averaged a PPDA of 6.46, which helped them dominate possession with 59.4% in the match.
In the map below, we are able to see how advanced Southgate’s defensive system is, going well into the opposition’s third. Additionally, the very light dots represent defensive actions. These are concentrated in the two half-spaces, further illustrating their defensive approach.
In the competition, the Three Lions have a total of 51 high regains, as seen below. Not only are Southgate’s men capable of pressuring the opposition into going long, but they are also able to recover it in dangerous areas – 13 of these recoveries have led to a shot within 20 seconds. In transition, they maintain a similar approach with 66 counter-pressing recoveries. This effective high press system will certainly play a role in finding initial control over the match.
