In a game versus France that was destined to be decided by the finest of margins, England ultimately bowed out of the 2022 World Cup by narrowly losing their pulsating quarter-final clash, with Harry Kane’s late missed penalty sealing their fate.
- Article republished following Gareth Southgate's decision to remain as England manager
Having controlled the match for large periods and well and truly held their own against the reigning world champions, Gareth Southgate's men can certainly be proud of their exertions on the night.
Pushing Didier Deschamps' team all the way, forcing Hugo Lloris to be on top of his game and only getting beaten by two brilliant goals.
The fact they bettered Les Bleus in terms of xG (2.69 to 1.41), possession (57% to 43%), total shots (16 to 8), shots on target (8 to 5), completed passes in the opposition half (192 to 177) and overall duels won (52 to 43) underlined what a fine effort the Three Lions put in.
"It was a big game, we played a superb England team who are strong technically and physically," Deschamps explained in his post-match comments.
"They have quality in all areas of the pitch. There were certain things we could have done better but maybe it's because they didn't let us do them well. We could see they were a good team at the outset of the tournament and it comes down to small details and luckily tonight it went our way. You need a bit of luck sometimes."
Also making plenty of headway in a tactical sense, England's ascendancy was also clear in this regard in many compartments.
To start with their build up, and their asymmetric shapes and staggering, in combination with their frequent variations, enabled them to gain a foothold in the game against a passive first line of French pressure.
Constantly keeping France on their toes and causing dilemmas, the way England sometimes built in a three with one full-back deep, in a four with both full-backs deep or instructed one or two central midfielders to drop back ensured they could progress quite comfortably while forming positional and numerical superiorities.
Moreover, to compound things for France, Kane would shrewdly check towards the ball, the midfielders and wingers would rotate and the fullbacks would sometimes venture infield to provide vital forward passing options.
Another notable aspect of their build up was that Kyle Walker was typically always staying deep to provide structural security and protection in case of a turnover so superstar Kylian Mbappe couldn't enjoy oceans of space to exploit in transition.
To shine the focus on the captivating battle between Mbappe and Walker, and the Manchester City maestro deserves immense credit for limiting the Paris Saint-Germain dynamo's impact.
Attentive, physical and with plenty of speed, Walker handled his adversary admirably, with him using the aforementioned to track his runs effectively, get touch-tight when he dropped deep with his back to goal and to keep tabs on him in 1v1s.
The help he was given by his colleagues also warrants mention, for Mbappe often found himself double or even triple teamed on occasion, thus deterring him from marauding upfield into a scenario where the cards were heavily stacked against him.
Indeed, Walker's excellent, disciplined display limiting the gifted 23-year-old's output was aptly punctuated by the numbers that state Mbappe only had one shot at an xG of 0.13, completed just two dribbles, had two touches in the area, lost 11 duels, gave up the ball six times and had zero shot assists.
Another individual who produced an incredible display was Jude Bellingham, whose tireless energy and relentless approach to doing everything in his power to help his team saw him keep up his exceptional form in Qatar.
Leading by example and showing a maturity that belies his tender years, the 19-year-old was unfazed on the big stage and was a real nightmare for his foes to contain.
Flying into tackles, pressing with vigour, carrying the ball forward with gusto and intelligent with his off the ball movement, there was so much to admire about his outstanding body of work.
Bukayo Saka's enterprising output, in the second half especially, caught the eye too. Aside from winning the penalty that Kane converted to get his team back into the game, the way he dovetailed with his teammates, intended to wreak havoc between the lines and regularly embarked on his trademark scintillating dribbles also deserved praise.
Getting fouled more than any other player (4) and proving a persistent thorn in the side of the French, it was little wonder England funnelled nearly 40% of their attacks down their right, knowing full well the immense threat he poses both individually and collectively.
Even though England lost in heartbreaking fashion, Southgate and his troops bow out with their heads held high following what's been a tournament littered with upside. Although the manner of the defeat will sting, they can at least console themselves with their terrific overall performance versus arguably the best side at the showpiece.
With the focus quickly turning to Southgate's future in the aftermath of this crushing loss, the dejected England boss, who's been at the helm for six years, offered a composed response when asked on the topic.
“I think whenever I’ve finished these tournaments I’ve needed time to make correct decisions because emotionally you go through so many different feelings and the energy that it takes through these tournaments is enormous,” he insisted.
“I want to make the right decision, whenever that is, for the team, for England, for the FA, and I’ve got to be sure whatever the decision I take is the right one. I think it’s right to take a bit of time to do that because I know in the past how my feelings have fluctuated in the immediate aftermath of tournaments."
Kane then added this on the subject, which seems to echo the thoughts of the squad as a whole, stating: "I think we have a really bright future. We love having Gareth as a manager. We want him to stay for sure, but that’s his decision.
“I think it’s been a really positive tournament. We felt like we could have done more, but when you look at the performances, it’s been exciting to watch. We’ve got a great team, great young players, players coming into their prime and a Euros not too far away.
"This will hurt for a while but we’ll dust ourselves down and get ready for the future. (The manager) will talk to his family and friends but from my point of view, the players’ point of view, we’re really happy with him.”
With plenty of time for reflection and to sort out what's next for England after this defeat that could have easily been a victory on another night, all things considered, Southgate and his team's hard to criticise efforts should be appreciated despite them suffering another gut-wrenching elimination at a major tournament.
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