Gareth Southgate has assessed England’s performance after a 2-1 loss to Spain in the Nations League. The conclusion he has drawn should be embraced by West Ham as they are in a similar position to the changing England team.
Gareth Southgate has essentially told England fans to not cry out for a formation or personnel change, but rather embrace an almost stubborn commitment to getting better in a formation that best suits the players at his disposal. Sound familiar?
The exact quote from Southgate was music to my ears: “I think at the moment we have to stick with the plan, stick with what we’re doing and just get better at doing it.” Let the players settle into one formation and grow with their roles within it.
West Ham has used a handful of formations in four Premier League matches this season. In an effort to clog the midfield against Liverpool West Ham used a 4-1-4-1 with four midfielders collapsing back defensively on top of a holding midfielder.
Against Bournemouth, West ham used Pellegrini’s favorite formation, a 4-2-2-2 line up that featured two strikers and two roaming attacking midfielders. West Ham failed to convert offensively and crumbled defensively in this match, blowing a lead and forfeiting any points in their first home match.
Against Arsenal and Wolves, West Ham have looked most solid and have used a third formation this season. The formation used was a 4-2-3-1 with Arnautovic up top and isolated with three attacking midfielders in support. With Anderson up the middle, West Ham may have finally found a location that utilizes their most expensive player in the best way, similar to Arnuatovic a season prior.
Southgate’s desire to stick to one formation, a 3-1-4-2 for England, is something Pellegrini needs to adopt with West Ham. For Southgate, he knows and is committed to using his players in their best positions. He stated:
"“They have a system in Spain that has produced some of the best midfield players in the world ever. At the moment we have a different profile of player, we can’t play the way that they want to play.”"
So, in an effort to combat a team who isolates and plays to their best attributes England did the same, using a dual-striker system, two speedy wingbacks, and supporting the attack with talented offensive minded midfielders.
West Ham have a midfielder in Jack Wilshere who can run the game for the Irons, while an offensive duo of Anderson and Arnautovic can carry the mail up top. Support them with Snodgrass and the better of Yarmolenko and Antonio and West Ham will be a force to be reckoned with. It isn’t an excuse, but with a team full of new players under a new manager, they shouldn’t have to also be guessing what formation they’ll be using week-by-week.