Breaking Down the England vs. Germany Tactical Battles

Was it only a month ago that England qualified for the World Cup finals in Brazil next year with such a flourish? 

The optimism that followed England’s consecutive wins over Montenegro and Poland seems a long time ago now.

At the final whistle last night after England had lost 1-0 to Germany, Wembley reverberated to a chorus of boos from many in the frustrated crowd of 85,934.

In the space of four days, England had failed to score in a combined 180 minutes against Chile and Germany, and they lost consecutive games at Wembley for the first time in 36 years.

England were not terrible, they were not completely outclassed, but they also didn’t look like a team that could ever seriously hurt Germany.

England started the game stronger, and over the course of the 90 minutes they actually enjoyed some healthy possession of the ball, having it for just under 50 percent of the game.

The problem is they did little with it and, according to the BBC, for the first time in 14 years failed to get a shot on target.

That is a damning statistic: Not a single shot on target.

This was largely down to wayward shooting from England, who did manage eight shots after all, but none of them made German goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller make a save.

Most games are won and lost in midfield, and this was no different.

Germany played with a two-tier midfield with the Bender brothers acting as a defensive buffer behind Toni Kroos, Mario Gotze and Marco Reus, which gave them both more protection and greater fluidity against England’s traditionally flat, four-man midfield.

England captain Steven Gerrard put in a solid display, but once again Tom Cleverley did very little alongside him in central midfield. He continues to lack any presence.

In comparison, Germany boast a player like Toni Kroos playing at the heart of their advanced three-man midfield, and he gave an accomplished and influential performance.

Kroos won the man of the match award for his strength, energy and precision passing. He touched the ball 122 times during the game, which included the crucial assist for Per Mertesacker’s decisive goal.

Either side of Kroos was the brilliance of Reus and Gotze, who both had assured evenings at Wembley.

The structure of Germany’s midfield, aligned with their greater technique and comfort on the ball, gave them more options to create openings.

England’s midfield wasn’t without merit, though. Andros Townsend was full of verve and attacking intent and came closest to scoring when he hit the post in the second half.

It is slightly embarrassing for England’s cause that according to the BBC Roy Hodgson wanted to count that Townsend effort as a shot on target. It is all getting a bit desperate.

German coach Joachim Low will have learned he has a squad of real depth who can perform without key players and have a good chance of prospering in Brazil next year. 

In contrast Hodgson was forced to face the truth that seven months before the World Cup he has a vulnerable defence, a predictable and unsettled midfield, and a forward line admittedly full of potential who have failed to score in their last two games.

It is said England are a quarter-final team, but there must be a concern they might not even make it out of their group next year.