For afar, this appeared Group B’s blockbuster fixture; a local derby, two UK home nations competing for regional bragging rights. Wales and England, two countries that will form one team for the Olympics, face off as foes for the first time in a European Championships.
The gravity of Gareth Bale
Roy Hodgson has, in recent days, made very clear he has no intention of overreacting to Wales’ creator-in-chief Gareth Bale. “We know we can’t just focus on Gareth thinking that’s how we’ll win the game… You don’t want to leave your team too vulnerable on the counterattack with players like Gareth Bale on the other team, given the qualities he has. But it’s not a one-man show.”
Indeed, it would be unwise to allow Bale to draw too much attention. But the beating Sweden dished out to a mostly Bale-less Wales in their final – albeit, a friendly – warm up match showed exactly how reliant Chris Coleman’s side are on Bale, and how toothless they look without him. Yes, Aaron Ramsay is a potent barb, and it was Hal Robson-Kanu that scored their joyful winner over Slovakia in the opening game, but the extent that these players are allowed to operate depends very much on the defenders that Bale sucks into his gravitational field. If he can be neutered, even partially, then Wales as a whole will suffer in turn. Eric Dier and James Milner, England’s only defensive midfielders, both seem too slow to really keep pace with the Welsh star. Perhaps Hodgson’s reluctance to man-mark Bale is less tactically justified, and more down to his not having the man to do it.
England must align their attack
Harry Kane’s heat map from his turn against Russia was at its most luminous in the parcels of turf over each corner flag. Yes, one wonders exactly why England’s best striker has been charged with taking corner kicks, especially when Wayne Rooney is on the pitch, but if Eric Dier can wallop in free kicks, then who knows what’s possible? More troubling, however, was how generally uninvolved Kane was, from a striking perspective; he had only one shot, which came well outside the box, and none of his contested headers came anywhere near the goal. He also put in significantly more crosses (7) than anyone else in the team, more even than both full backs Kyle Walker and Danny Rose managed combined.
Great final session before tomorrow's game v #WAL. Everyone looking sharp and ready to go. #ENG #EURO2016 pic.twitter.com/5v5fwd1a7L
— Harry Kane (@HKane) 15 June 2016
Kane is arguably the Premier League’s most predatory striker, the person who needs to be the crossee, not the crosser. It may have something to do with having your country’s top scorer playing behind him in midfield. It may have something to do with Adam Lallana and Raheem Sterling’s penchant for cutting inside, displacing Kane. Whatever the reason; Wales play with three centre backs, so if Kane is to start again he – or, indeed, Hodgson – will need to find a way to get him more involved.
Regional rivalry will give Wales an extra boost
It was an exhausting grapple, but Wales fully earned their three points from their opening match. It was a team-wide, lung-busting defensive effort, where a full-field press suffocated Slovakia into huge periods of bluntness. The toll, however, was also obvious; the Welsh players – Gareth Bale, the superman, aside – were utterly gassed by the final whistle, and will now start this match against England likely still feeling the effects. But – and this is key – they will take into this match something they didn’t have in the last one; some local spice.
Adrenaline can disguise any and all fatigue, and nothing will give the Welsh more of it than the thought of holding bragging rights over their neighbours. We may see, even with their energy sapped, that it’s the Welsh that finish the match running the hardest.
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