FIFA Under 21's Day 1 - England vs. Finland

I want to discuss the first day of the international youth tournament with a focus on tactics, playing style, and emphasis on Arsenal youth (in the case of England).



England 2 - Finland 1

Scrappy win by the 10 - men team, as Finland proved to be an enthusiastic bunch. England lined up in a surprisingly defensive 4-5-1 formation, probably to combat the Finnish steel. The formation was:

-------------------------Hart-----------------------------
Crainey--------Richards-----Mancienne------------Gibbs
-----------------Muamba------Cattermole----------------
Walcott----------------Noble-----------------------Milner
------------------------------Agbonlahor-----------------

I found that the focus of the English attack was utilizing the speed of Walcott and Agbonlahor, and it was clearly apparent with the continual emphasis of the long ball in the early minutes. There was a couple of time where the central midfield trio tried to release Walcott, who clearly needed time to adjust to the sticky pitch and couldn't keep possession. The Villa boys Milner and Agbonlahor linked up nicely to create a strong chance which Cattermole converted. The defense on the play was horrible and it was clear that Finland was trying to adjust to the long-ball speed tactics.

However, the major problem with any long-ball tactic is that you are giving up possession far too easily and this was of major consequence to England. Finland played possession football and passed around well, and grew in confidence where they started to exploit the right flank of England. Eventually, one ambitious ball by Sparv was put over the top, and Sadik got goal side of Mancienne. This is a terrible position for a defender to be in, and Mancienne panicked and took down the oncoming Finnish player. This resulting action was a red-card and a penalty for the Finns, one which Sparv coolly converted.

England were clearly against it now, down to 10 men and needing a goal to equalize. This, however, proved to be a blessing in disguise as Stuart reverted to a two striker system in a 4-3-2 tactical switch. This switch allowed for more ball possession in the forward line and more ball possession. Walcott was sacrificed for Frazier Campbell, a player who played his trade for Spurs last year. The England team grew in confidence and took the lead by a 51st minute booming header by Richards.

The Three Lions showed courage to gamely hold on, and were close to conceding near the death had it not been for the heroics of Joe Hart. The Finnish threw men forward and had a couple chances that went begging.




Theo Walcott had a poor game for England and was substitute by half-time. He seemed to be lacking his usual trickery and was not exploiting his speed to get behind the defenders. The sending off was a convenient way for Pearce to re-arrange his tactics to get the desired result.

Gibbs, on the other hand, played an excellent game for England. He has really showed maturity at the back and the attacking instinct of an Arsenal fullback. His performances in the final games of the Gunner season coupled with a strong showing in the tournament would likely cement him as back-up to Gael Clichy.

I think Pearce originally got his tactics all wrong. While in theory it made sense to take the speed advantage, the result was that England kept losing possession and this did not bode well with nervous kids in the first match of a championship tournament. Pearce should have played an attacking 4-4-2 with the emphasis on the flanks. Some muscle in the middle of the park was necessary, but have three similar central players was redundant.

Overall, this was an alright win for England. They are way behind the quality of Spain and Germany, but I believe that the team will grow in stature as the tournament progresses. Stuart Pearce echoes by sentiment by stating.

We look a million miles away from winning the tournament,’’ Pearce said. “We’ve showed courage, commitment and character. What we need to show is more ability.

The team needs to hold possession and craft chances, as Spain and Germany have the players to destroy England. In note, Macin and Olier are the ones to watch for Germany and Sisy and Bojan are the starlets for Spain. As two of the three qualify for the latter stages, this win over Finland was mandatory.