Switzerland vs. England: Hodgson Nails It with Diamond, Delph Selections

England kicked off their UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign with an excellent 2-0 victory in Basel over Switzerland, and in doing so took full control over Group E.

Danny Welbeck grabbed a brace on two sweet counter-attacking moves as Roy Hodgson's men executed a solid game plan against the group's strongest opponent.

Let's take a tactical glance at how the game unfolded.

Formations and Setups

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Switzerland lined up in a 4-3-3/4-5-1, with Haris Seferovic up front, Xherdan Shaqiri on the right and Steve von Bergen in central defence ahead of Philippe Senderos.

England played a 4-4-2 diamond, with Welbeck up front alongside Wayne Rooney, Jack Wilshere at the base and Fabian Delph a surprise starter at left central midfield.

England Off the Ball

Before kick-off, when Hodgson had confirmed to ITV's coverage that England were set to line up in a diamond, alarm bells went off.

Now, we've all been desperate for the former Fulham manager to drop his asinine 4-4-2/4-2-3-1 modifications, but playing without wingers against Stephan Lichtsteiner and Ricardo Rodriguez? Talk about your big, big risks!

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The diamond, as it happened, fanned out into a 4-3-3-esque shape (Raheem Sterling central) to try and prevent a) quick balls from centre-backs to full-backs and b) early runs from the full-backs.

It worked very well. Lichtsteiner and Rodriguez were opposed early as if they were playing wingers, and their reluctance to take on Welbeck and Rooney showed in their lack of offensive output.

If you let players like these canter forward unopposed, you're in trouble; it's vital you engage them high up to try and stifle their impact. England succeeded.

Left-sided Buildup

Undeniably, England's best offensive work came from the left via the Leighton Baines-Fabian Delph combination of pass and run.

The duo would one-two their way into space and lure in a marker (usually Valon Behrami), then spring a firm pass into the path of Sterling or Rooney, who dropped into the space opening up inside Delph and in front of the centre-backs.

VK (RU)

Delph had a rocky opening nine minutes in which he could have been sent off, but he recovered to play a strong match and was instrumental in putting Switzerland on the back foot.

Behrami, the right central midfielder in a 4-3-3 defensive set, had a nightmare tracking Delph's runs and got nowhere near him, exposing Gokhan Inler time and time again.

Classic Counter-attacks

As positive as England were off the ball and in possession, goalscoring opportunities were hard to come by for long stretches.

Joe Hart had to made three or four excellent saves to keep the sheet clean and ensure Switzerland didn't go ahead, and as much as this remains a positive outing for the Three Lions, it should be noted the goals came in typical fashion.

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England are at their best on the counter, and the Welbeck opener saw England's front three sear forward, combine and stick the ball away. That's playing to the game plan and making the most of the peripherals, unleashing the strengths of the diamond in full.

This threat forced Switzerland to sit off and ensure numbers were behind the ball; the Swiss were scared of the pace England boasted on the counter. 

Catapulting players forward into space; utilising the athleticism of Sterling, Delph and Welbeck; instinctive, transitional football at its best.

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