England's Evolution: Creating a Blueprint for Short-Term Success

It won't be a surprise for you to read that England, as a national football team, need serious work over the next several years if they are to evolve into an elite force.

Years and years have passed since the Three Lions had a squad, system and manager capable of challenging the best, and their last-minute struggle to qualify from Group H this week is indicative of recent troubles.

We call for reforms, but they take decades to come to fruition; Germany's absymal, one-point showing at Euro 2000 with a 39-year-old Lothar Matthaus was the tipping point for the German Football Assocation, but even after pushing through a series of rules to ensure youth production, it was 10 years before results appeared—due to a chance pre-2010 World Cup injury crisis.

England want relevancy now, for Brazil 2014 and certainly for Russia 2018. FA Chairman Greg Dyke has played down hopes of winning next year, and while fans accept a win is beyond unlikely, a strong showing—one that propels the team to the latter stages—will be required.

So what can England do, in the short term, to improve their international setup?

Grass roots reforms are required—Henry Winter of The Telegraph hits the nail on the head here—but how can this nation become relevant now?

Pick Your Players

There's always a wild-card selection when it comes to England's squad listing for major international tournaments.

In 2006, Sven-Goran Eriksson called up Theo Walcott despite him playing less than 15 senior games and no Premier League matches. In 2010 an unfit, unhappy Wayne Rooney was included alongside Stephen Warnock—at the expense of Leighton Baines.

For Euro 2012, the vastly inexperienced Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was not only called up but started the first game against France.

Roy Hodgson needs to look at the burgeoning talent plying its trade in England and figure out who his key, central players are. Young players included shouldn't be wild cards, they should be the future.

Since the retirement of Rio Ferdinand and John Terry, the side has lost its spine. Many different centre-back pairings have been tried, and what's truly needed is stability in that area. Phil Jagielka and Gary Cahill appear to be the pick.

Forwards are somewhat interchangable, but the system has to be a common one between all parties. Midfield stability is largely absent too, with a multitude of customers coming in to play alongside captain Steven Gerrard.

Injuries play a part in every manager's selection dilemma, but England need a shortlist of go-to guys who are young, eager and extremely promising.

Ross Barkley, Jack Wilshere, Jack Rodwell, Raheem Sterling and Danny Welbeck should be right at the top, and they need integrating.

Pick Your System

Surprisingly, Hodgson has been extremely flexible in his tactics since the culmination of Euro 2012.

During the tournament he stuck to a putrid 4-4-1-1 system that did the team no favours and simply reinforced their bad habits. But with time to coach and assess his options in calmer waters, he's tried all sorts in an attempt to find the winning formula.

The 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, and 4-4-2 (diamond) have all made appearances—some against prestigious competition such as Brazil—and have all worked with varying degrees of success.

The diamond was particularly interesting, as it saw Gerrard play as a regista and left Frank Lampard in the No. 10 role, allowing Hodgson to play them together without risking the old "but can they play together?" questioning.

It proves the former West Bromwich Albion coach is happy to tinker, but the formation he appears to have settled on in his mind is the 4-3-3—a fine choice.

It suits England as a limited skill set nation, plays to their strengths, can help hide their weaknesses and unlocks the best in the players England should be grooming for guaranteed starting roles in the future.

Barkley is ideal for the roaming role in central midfield, Wilshere is fully capable of developing into a fine playmaker and the blueprint of placing a deep-lying playmaker behind the duo can be scrapped if no one rises to take Gerrard's mantle.

Keep Your Values, Rid Your Bad Habits

There's been a common moan and groan surrounding England's play for several years: "We can't keep the ball."

Watching teams such as Germany, Spain, France and Italy knock the ball around with ease, control the tempo and dictate proceedings has been tough on England fans, and the Euro 2012 quarterfinal tie with the Azzurri was perhaps the lowest moment of all.

Andrea Pirlo sat back and clocked up 115 passes as the Three Lions sank deeper and deeper into their own territory, conceding ground and praying for penalties—which they lost, obviously.

England have always been good at soaking up pressure, it's a hallmark in their game: Ask them to accrue 70 percent possession and defend by withholding the ball from the opposition and they'll struggle, ask them to dig in and find their combative edge and you've got yourself a clean sheet.

The 4-3-3 formation, with Gerrard at the helm, has shown some signs that England can rack up decent phases of possession and play and then turn them into scoring chances.

Unfortunately, the team's horrendous instinct to run vertically as soon as a playmaker gets the ball—a traditional trait—is harming the buildup play.

It's one of several habits that need be coached out, and no top international team does anything remotely similar. Watching Sturridge, Rooney and Theo Walcott just sprint down the field as soon as Gerrard got the ball against the Republic of Ireland was grim to say the least.

A combative holding midfielder can anchor the formation instead, providing added steel and removing the option of the Hollywood pass. The player must be capable in possession—Nathaniel Chalobah appears the perfect prospect on paper—but Steven Gerrards don't grow on trees.

Adapt to Succeed

Certain traits will always crop up in English footballers unless the grass roots system receives a monumental reform.

Wingers will be direct, extremely fast and technically limited; Complete target forwards, with height, strength and technical class, will be rare; Full-backs will either be offensively or defensively limited; Midfielders will lack the ability to create space, move efficiently off the ball and stay calm enough to keep it on the ground.

But England can work with what's in place and put together a blueprint for the next five years. The 4-3-3 formation is threatening to displace the 4-2-3-1 as the go-to, fashionable choice, and it can help the Three Lions prosper.

It plays to their strengths (dropping deep, releasing wingers) while attempting to fix a flailing passing game and global positional sense.

There won't be a natural fit for every role—there never is—but the nation has every tool at its disposal to make a competitive XI and system for Brazil and Russia at the minimum.

The nation will expect as much.

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