England’s transition from a back four to a back three at the European Championship has been serene, seamless and also a tad fortuitous.
If Switzerland had not adopted the set-up, it is unlikely Gareth Southgate would have matched them in the quarter-finals. The victory over the Netherlands was Southgate’s best night in the dugout as England’s opponents were forced to adapt.
Ronald Koeman, the Netherlands coach, had some success once he replaced the cumbersome Memphis Depay and Donyell Malen at the pause. The Dutch edged a cagier second half until Stefan de Vrij stood off Ollie Watkins in what was a rare tactical triumph for Southgate.
Immortality on Sunday would see his odds to become the next Manchester United manager shorten. Two allies occupy two of the most senior roles at Old Trafford and emulating Sir Alf Ramsey has been beyond 12 England managers spanning 58 years.
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Whatever the outcome in Berlin, United should not touch Southgate with a bargepole. They should, however, consider the flexibility a defensive trident offers, particularly if Luke Shaw lines up for the national anthem with Kobbie Mainoo against Spain.
Mainoo’s belated promotion to a competitive starter has underpinned England’s gradual progress. The Dutch have seldom showcased Total Football since Euro 2008 and Mainoo was more Oranje than those in orange.
Louis van Gaal has much to answer for. The Netherlands overachieved by finishing third at the 2014 World Cup with a rigid back three that was spearheaded by the devastating Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie. Van Gaal, once synonymous with style, favoured substance.
Drunk from the success, Van Gaal attempted to transmit it to a United side in transition at the start of the 2014-15 campaign. Tyler Blackett, so hopeless on loan at Birmingham he was booed by their supporters, was welcomed back into the fold as United’s only left-footed centre back. Jesse Lingard started at wing back on his debut. United lost 2-1 to Swansea and Van Gaal eventually abandoned the back three after three league games.
It was resurrected in nine matches out of 11 in December and January. United won six, drew two and lost one but their clinical finishing could not mask some unsettling performances. After United inexplicably won at Southampton, Gary Neville dubbed them the “Dog and Duck”. Ie. a pub team. In the reverse fixture at Old Trafford a month later, they lost without mustering an attempt on target.
The back three sequence ended in-game at Queens Park Rangers, where United fans chanted “Four-four-two!” They won 2-0.
Eight years on and at another World Cup, Van Gaal’s third stint as the Netherlands coach ended with a back three. Frenkie de Jong was the team’s linchpin and it is just as well his wage deferrals were never addressed by Barcelona.
As elegant as De Jong is (and he was sorely missed by the Netherlands against England), he never sounded particularly thrilled at the prospect of reuniting with Erik ten Hag in Manchester.
In his absence, Ten Hag has hot-housed the Manchester born and United-bred Mainoo into a midfielder who could be mistaken for a Barcelona prodigy or a Pep Guardiola product. Mainoo has outperformed his fellow England midfielders who fetched nine-figure fees last summer.
Mainoo is already a talent to build the team around for club and country. Southgate, who did not originally name Mainoo in his squad for the March internationals and picked Trent Alexander-Arnold and Connor Gallagher ahead of him in the group stage, has cottoned on.
United are prioritising centre backs when their most significant addition will be the midfielder to take a back seat behind Mainoo. Mason Mount, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen nor Scott McTominay are the answer.
A defensive trio of Matthijs de Ligt, Jarrad Branthwaite and Lisandro Martinez would give United a solid and skilful foundation to shape-shift. Martinez has experience of playing in midfield – though is untried there for United – while Branthwaite and De Ligt are footballing defenders who ought to be at ease striding into the middle third.
Mainoo is a midfielder for now but he has the fleet of foot and foraging instincts of a budding playmaker. His telepathy with Phil Foden in Dortmund enabled the Manchester City playmaker to finally influence England’s attack.
Shaw and Diogo Dalot are purposeful full backs capable of assuming the responsibility of wing backs. Dalot added a string to his bow last season with those diagonal charges to the final third, yielding a winning goal at Brighton in May.
United can get a tune out of Bruno Fernandes wherever he plays. Alejandro Garnacho, a winger, jars with a back three formation but he has the engine to double as a wing back. Bukayo Saka has caught fire for England since he was repositioned there and that purportedly deeper role fuelled his average higher positions against the Swiss and the Dutch.
Amad, with his incision and stints as a false nine, would be a legitimate option. Mount’s greatest night in football was as one of the two behind Timo Werner in Chelsea’s Champions League final triumph three years ago.
Mount is another United ally of Southgate’s.