Euro 2020: When coach Southgate 'cuts the wings' of the German national team

The strength of the "German Tank" at Euro 2021 lies in Joachim Löw's two wingers, Robin Gosens and Joshua Kimmich. These two players effectively neutralized most of the opponent's attacking moves from their own half, most notably in the 4-2 victory against Portugal. Both Robin Gosens and Joshua Kimmich were involved in all four of Germany's goals.

Gareth Southgate's class

Analyzing the video footage, England manager Gareth Southgate noticed that in the 3-4-3 formation, Robin Gosens had 47 touches in Portugal's half during his 62 minutes on the pitch, including 6 incursions into the penalty area. Kimmich had 47 touches in the opponent's half and six touches inside the penalty box. With their inferior fitness and experience, Portugal's two full-backs, Raphael and Semedo, were unable to keep up with the wingers under manager Joachim Löw.

For the first time at Euro 2021, head coach Southgate decided that the England team would abandon the 4-3-2-1 formation and switch to a 3-4-3 formation. Photo: Getty

For the first time at Euro 2021, head coach Southgate decided that England would abandon their 4-3-2-1 formation and switch to a 3-4-3 for the match against Germany, embracing an attacking style of play. Simply put, computer analysis showed that England players Luke Shaw and Kieran Tripper were perfectly capable of playing on equal terms with Gosens and Kimmich.

In fact, Gosens only had 14 touches in the first half, while Kimmich had 22, and the pair had only one touch inside the penalty area. For the first time at Euro 2021, Germany's wingers failed to elevate the team, with both the quality and quantity of their attacking moves declining; Gosens only had 27 touches in the first half, while Kimmich had 34.

Coach Southgate forced Germany to attack through the center, where the home team had ample cover from Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice – two solid central defenders – and center-back John Stones supported by Harry Maguire and Kyle Walker. Germany's best attacking moments in the match came from the central area, but even when they broke through the defense, goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made some spectacular saves, preventing Germany from celebrating.

The tables have turned.

England won by exploiting Germany's own attacking style down the flanks. Bukayo Saka created space in the German defense with his dribbling and speed, while Raheem Sterling freely cut inside from the left wing. On the left wing, Shaw spent 60% of his time in Germany's half, while Trippier, attacking on the right wing, had more possession (71%).

This was England's first victory over Germany in a knockout match since the 1966 World Cup final.

Aashin, an English football writer, commented: “Manchester United defender Shaw is having his most successful season in eight years since joining Old Trafford, excelling in both attack and defense. He was the assist provider for England's opening goal.”

England's opening goal came from Sterling's skillful dribbling from midfield, creating space for Jack Grealish. Grealish received the ball and passed it to Shaw, who then laid it off for Sterling to score past goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. This was the kind of goal Germany scored for fun in their demolition of Portugal.

The second goal in the 86th minute started similarly: Shaw won the ball near the center circle and passed it to Grealish, who then crossed it to Harry Kane for a header. To date, England remains the only team yet to concede a goal. They also have the highest tackle success rate (61%) among all teams in the Round of 16.

This was England's first victory over Germany in a knockout match since the 1966 World Cup final. Their path to the Euro 2020 final remains relatively achievable, as their next opponent is Ukraine, a team that is not considered particularly strong.