First of all, let's focus on the high ball and set piece tactics. With Kane's clever pull side pass and Maguire's Tarzan-like pressure, the team's most relied upon scoring weapon remained the same simple and direct style of play after Southgate's entry. The sound of Maguire's header seemed to shake the will of the Iranian defenders to hold on for 90 minutes.
Secondly, let's talk about Sterling of Tring. While the mention of Sterling always conjures up "happy boy" jokes, perhaps you should take the time to look at his important role in the national team. Four years ago, in the Southgate 352 formation, he is Kane's side of the "tickle" 1/2. Now, facing Iran, Southgate also need to use Sterling's trademark interspersed running, for the Persians to build a high wall of loose soil, the three strikers against the three center backs of the stalemate can be broken.
Further, Bellingham's performance was equally compelling. Last night, it was as if Liverpool fans had all become frogs hungry for swan meat. They watched as the teenager who spent a week with Arnold, with silky smooth dribbling and tandem play, elevated his value to heights that Klopp would struggle to reach with the Hubble telescope, and in the process, fantasized about whether or not he'd be playing in the Europa League with the Reds next year. The moment he broke the deadlock, I couldn't help but wonder if kop was conjuring up images in his mind of the youthful teenager who had wowed the world at the World Cup.
Having said that, we should normally be progressively praising Saka for his perfect draw and Sterling for his nimble running. However, given that the whole city was cheering for England last night and into this morning, I'd like to leave room for Iran's No. 15 center back, Cheshmi. A little background on him -
Cheshmi didn't even get half a second on the pitch during former Iran coach Skorcic's reign. But when Queiroz walked into the palace for the second time this September, he allowed the veteran to follow him back to the national team. In addition, Cheshmi played as a center midfielder, his first time as a center back, or trailing center back, in Iran's three-back system.
So when you see his just over 50% passing accuracy, two head-to-head dunks by Maguire, a third lost ball off a fumble, a failed steal, turning the ball over three times or missing a Sterling one-stop shop, and a tortoise-speed defense possessed by Haddadi, you'll see that the first two Iranian steel defenses are a thing of the past.
As a result, Queiroz's reused "waste" system planted "rat droppings" in the chaotic defense system. Since it is not possible to control the sovereignty of the high altitude, and it is difficult to stand firmly in the low position of defense, England is very easy to grasp the Iranian strong, lack of agility of the natural defects. When Queiroz did lose heart, he replaced three men at half-time. He may have wanted to take the opportunity to touch the fish and brush up on the live stream to see the England team that Zhiqiang mixed up in the second half and had to open up the PowerPoint and add a couple of slides.
The Iranian men changed, provided the front line, and the wing-backs were once again under pressure, like an odd 3151 formation, with the aerial defensive zone left only for England to catch up, and Kane smoother as the axis. By now, Cheshmi was back on the bench, with left-back Hosseini, who had been cleaned up in the first half, the star of the backdrop.
Saka loses his defensive position with a card frame at his feet. A change by Rashford brought him back to Tehran. When Behring broke his defensive zone with a straight shot, his big brother, who had been shifted out of position by Rashford with the ball, even raised his hand at half-time to signal offside ......
What was promised to be a bus turned out to be a shared bike that you could ride by scanning a code.
Just like that, the English broke the barrel and exploded into each other in the half. They seized the counter and slapped the Iranians three times. When they looked back, they were hit twice in the chest by Taremi's little pink punch. Throughout the game, the possession and passing success rates were way off the scoreboard. In garbage time, they smashed the Three Lions of the Persian Iron Horse with headers, and even had time to play some consecutive short passes and ground passes -
Southgate seems to be telling the world that since we are holding the most luxurious lineup in the top 32, we can also draw a clear picture of the river.
Undoubtedly, this was England's strongest start to a tournament since the new century, so it's inevitable that some will be eager to book a ticket home for the soccer. But frankly, Iran's frequently self-immolating defense isn't strong enough at the moment, not to mention the rushed No. 2 goalkeeper who almost saw one.
Next, a photo of the youthful storm can't hurt, but I'm afraid the Americans and Welsh are at least a test report on the quality of the offense at the Premier League level.
