As soon as his quarter-final clash with France was confirmed, there was one question that dominated the discussion in England: how do you stop Mbappé?
The match against Senegal was not even over when the commentators changed their thoughts. England gave away the ball against the Lions of Teranga, were careless on possession and casual on the back line. Instead of talking about Senegal, commentators said they “will not get away with France.” More specifically, the player came across the thoughts of him.
You couldn’t give Mbappé that kind of space.
I worry about what Kylian Mbappé can do against England in that scenario.
The newspaper headlines the next day echoed those thoughts. A variety of articles and columns devoted to what, and who, was agreed upon as the game’s deciding factor.
It is an understandable approach for those who look inward. Mbappé is the standout player of the tournament, so far. Currently, he is the tournament’s top scorer with five goals. Surely, he is a future Ballon d’Or winner, and quite possibly winner of two World Cups, or even more.
His speed and ability to pass the ball between players, along with the ease with which he seems to find the score, certainly mark him out as the biggest threat England will face.
The biggest but not the only threat, that is.
Kylian Mbappé is not the only threat facing England
Amid all the talk about Kylian Mbappé, there is a danger in England that is overlooked by the rest of France. It is an immensely talented and disciplined team with players on the front line capable of hurting England.
Now his country’s all-time leading goalscorer, Olivier Giroud carries a threat like few other No. 9s. He is as adept with his head as his feet, and is comfortable with his back to goal. His uncanny ability to possess and find space in the middle of defense draws others into the game outside of him.
Dembele’s one-on-one prowess should more than worry Luke Shaw on the right-hand side. The Barcelona winger looks like a player reborn after his injury battles early in his career. He looks to come in and take the game to a potentially unstable Harry Maguire. This is cause for concern on the faces of all England supporters.
Behind the three strikers is perhaps the key player in all of this, Antoine Griezmann. The Atlético de Madrid star sacrificed his most selfish instincts to go from being a goalscorer to a deep midfielder. Now, he finds space between the lines. Therefore, he joins moves to hurt the opponents. How England approach him will be just as important as their tactics against Kylian Mbappé. Cutting the supply line to the front three will prove crucial to England’s chances of success. Could Declan Rice be tasked with marking a man?
For all the talk of opponents, it should not be forgotten that England have some serious weapons of their own.
Offense can be the best form of defense
They will enter the quarterfinals as the tournament’s top scorers and can boast a true world-class striker in Harry Kane. They have a bench as strong, if not stronger, than any other nation, with breakthrough players like Grealish, Mount, Maddison, and Sterling capable of affecting the outcome at the end of the game.
Saka, Foden and Bellingham have already shown that they are more than ready to become international regulars. Bellingham, in particular, has captured the imagination with his commanding performances. His bursts from midfield have drawn comparisons to some of his home country’s greats, with pundits and journalists lining up to herald him as “the world’s next best midfielder”.
The fear among England supporters is that Gareth Southgate is paying too much attention to how to stop France and not concentrating on how best to hurt them. For England to succeed, they must remember to bring the sword as well as the shield.
formative decisions
Central to that is training. They’ve gotten this far fielding a 4-3-3 that brings out the best in their young stars and provides enough defensive stability to allow Bellingham the freedom to play his natural game. Play to their attacking strengths and place the onus on the front six breaking quickly as a unit, as they did impressively against Senegal.
Calls for Southgate to return to a three-man defense to double down on the right-backs and mitigate the threat from Mbappé would result in a short-numbered midfield and give France the initiative before a ball is even kicked.
Whichever approach England takes, it promises to be an exciting encounter, the matchup of the tournament so far and a true test of both teams’ chances of reaching the final on December 18.
PHOTO: IMAGO / Laci Perenyi
World Cup 2022 Guide
Here are some resources to help you make the most of the biggest event in soccer!
