An angry English fan in a Brighton and Hove Albion shirt threw his poncho into the rain and shouted: “Make them stand in the rain all night.” The seconds were ticking down, the game was rumbling, and English fans, pampered after beating Croatia 4-2, were frustrated by the production that saw a shaky evening end goalless in Boston.
It was another big memo to boost their tournament credentials when historic rivals like France and Argentina prevailed. But it turned out to be another day of toothless attacking displays, a day etched in the past of glorious underachieving, reminiscent of Gareth Southgate’s final days at the helm. England could still go deep into the tournamentBut the performance against Ghana was not a loud advertisement of their attacking riches but an indication of their limitations.
There were passages in the game when even the most invested fans turned their heads, their eyes rolled, their conversations turned to the England-like weather (though Bostonians claim it’s very Boston in the summer). Few named the substitutes, and indisputably the bench was made up of men who could get England three points, sparking many a search. It required individual brilliant action rather than structural rigor.
On cue, Tuchel rang in the pinch. Arsenal duo Eberchie Ize and Bukayo Saka entered. But that has not dented Ghana’s confidence in their defensive durability. They blocked and blocked until they could block no more. Another England fan said: “It’s worse than losing. Tell me a good shot on goal.” Just then, England had their most penetrating spell of the match. Saka powerfully whipped the ball over the goal-wards, but for a brave intervention by goalkeeper Benjamin Asare. In the next minute Nico O’Reilly headed the ball horribly over the crossbar. The rebound fell into the path of Harry Kane. The ball was difficult to control from close range, but with great skill. He skied the ball into the upper levels, to wrap up a forgettable day, when his accuracy and the day ended like that.” After the game the fans consoled his distraught friends, but a look of indifference spread across their faces: “Same old England.”
Then, a familiar figure emerged from the dugout for visitors to the English Premier League, the brainy Carlos Queiroz, Alex Ferguson’s trusted companion during Manchester United’s halcyon days, a human treatise on defensive tactics. A legend goes. Before the 2008 Champions League semi-final between United and Barcelona. He placed Jim Mats between two midfielders, Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes, and two defenders, Rio Ferdinand and Wes Brown, to nullify Barcelona’s passing carousel, as he classified tactics. The ball was not allowed to touch the mats under any circumstances. For two long weeks, they trained the same, perfected it and kept Barcelona goalless in both ties.
Ghana defended hard and deep, but clinically, not offensively. An immovable yellow barricade blocked all possible paths to the goal. Like pawns guarding a queen on a chessboard, a favorite pastime of England manager Thomas Tuchel, Ghana built a human fortress around the goalpost. England had to breach several firewalls to at least score. In defence, which they tried most of the time, they morphed from a 4-4-1 to a 5-4-1. Whenever England were given a half shooting opportunity and were off balance, they threw their bodies at the ball. England came close when Declan Rice curled a powerful free kick past goalkeeper Asare. Rice later praised Ghana’s defensive toughness: “You have to give them credit. 5-4-1 without the ball, very compact, tight spaces to play in.”
They didn’t just defend in numbers, they defended smartly. The pace at which space was covered was incredible, giving England as little time on the ball as possible. Defensive blocks were not static, they changed shape according to the situation. Gradually, England became pensive, with self-doubt. Ghana managed just 10 per cent of possession in the first half, but their sole aim was to frustrate England, hoping England would press relentlessly and Ghana would eventually succumb to their pressure.
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Like desperate detectives nailing the suspects, England resorted to all sorts of tactics to crack Ghana’s wall of indecisiveness. In-game adjustments have been made. Jude Bellingham was thrust into the role of playmaker, operating just behind Kane, whose first meaningful effort came in the closing minutes of the first half, only for Marvin Sene’s telescoping legs to push the ball away. Neither team could score in the first half.
This was England’s most drastic proposal to break up the lower blocks. They needed a moment of ingenuity, a brushstroke of genius, a burst of ethereal creativity. Nothing came of it, the game went through its usual riff. England’s failure in strategy too, their inability to carry the ball through a crowded defence. Like France’s Michel Olisse or Spain’s Lamine Yamal. As with English champions Arsenal, a set piece was the most likely way to score a goal. But set-pieces also fell in the face of a defensive rearguard directed by a master of defensive coups.