The EURO 2020 Group D tie between England and Scotland ended in a goalless draw as the historic encounter took place in Wembley. It is a huge achievement for the Scottish national side as they were widely considered as underdogs, going into this match. Football Monk takes look at the five talking points of the match.
Scotland goes all guns blazing
Scotland’s performance against England was far more attacking than their previous game against the Czech Republic. With some tactical tweaks here and there, they were able to pressurize England throughout the whole match. Scotland’s wide attacking options with wingbacks- Andy Robertson and Stephen O’Donnell came in handy. As they created much threat in the attacking third of the pitch.
Harry Kane, not a striker
This topic was much anticipated well before the tournament had started. English national team tends to perform in a conservative way under their head coach Gareth Southgate. And today was no exception. Central forward Harry Kane was used in a much backward role. He had the duty almost of a playmaker in the midfield. This cameo positioning caused very little threat in the final third. As Scottish defenders could easily single out both the wingers: Sterling and Foden.
A busy day for John McGinn
In the match against the Czech Republic, Scot McTominay was used as a box-to-box midfielder. Although he didn’t look comfortable in that role. Today, Steve Clarke changed his role into a wide central back and used McGinn as his replacement. It worked out well for Scotland as he dominated the lines against England’s defensive midfielder Declan Rice.
It’s not coming home, for England
Although the English team has arguably one of the best squads in the tournament, this group has to work on various weaknesses they currently possess. Gareth Southgate previously preferred a 3-man backline. Going into this tournament, he used a 2-man defensive line in both of the matches. But the gap between both the central backs was bizarrely visible. Declan Rice couldn’t fill in that gap and Kalvin Phillips played as a no. 8 beside Mount. Thus couldn’t support the defensive line properly.
What now for Scotland ?
With this hard-earned draw against their southern rivals, England can turn out to be crucial moving forward in the tournament. A win against Croatia will definitely give them a probable opportunity to qualify for the next round of EURO 2020. Although it seems hard for the Scottish side to beat the World Cup Runners-up Croatia. But the task is much more possible than anticipated.
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