England are one step away from breaking a nearly 60-year-old curse as they enter the Euros 2024 finals after beating the Netherlands.
It was a remarkable night for Manchester United as well, as Kobbie Mainoo took all the plaudits after an impressive display that continues to belie his young age.
They will face an ascending Spain side in the finals, who have looked assured and confident throughout the tournament, something which can’t be said about the Three Lions.
They are headlined by a similarly talented precocious teenage talent Lamine Yamal, who is even younger than Mainoo but has taken games by the scruff of their neck so far.
Needless to say, he has become the player to watch out for in every game and England will have to neutralise him to stand a chance of meeting their destiny.
Tackling Lamine Yamal’s threat
Yamal is a left-footed right-winger and that’s the position he has played at throughout this campaign, although he keeps floating.
That means he is likely to come up one-on-one against another United man in Luke Shaw, who is sure to see some minutes if he doesn’t start outright.
Shaw is stepping up his recovery from a long-term injury and his past two appearances show he is slowly getting back to the levels which make him one of the best left-backs in the world.
That’s not happening soon enough, according to ESPN pundit Craig Burley, who has made a doomsday prediction for Shaw in the finals.
Burley said Shaw will face a difficult time against Yamal, citing his lack of fitness and his slow recovery from injury.
He said: “Luke Shaw didn’t have anything [during his 45 minutes vs Netherlands after coming off the bench]. Southgate clearly thinks he’s not fit enough to start the game and play the full 90 minutes.
“Shaw against fresh, fit, quick players, particularly the Spanish, like Lamine Yamal, he’s not ready for it.”
He stressed that England’s XI are predictable for the same reason as Kieran Trippier for Shaw would be the only possible change but it’s one they won’t make against Spain.
Shaw changes England’s dynamic
Regardless of whether Shaw is contributing goals or assists directly, just his left-footedness on the left side changes how England play.
Trippier, a natural right-back, will always have a tendency to stop the flow of the game and check back on his stronger foot when he plays on the left.
It takes the sting out of the England attack and makes playing inside forwards on either side a mess, as Trippier struggles to take the ball on the run while overlapping.
Shaw’s natural side makes ball progression easier, and he’s easily better at combining with inside forwards for the same reason. The thrust that England lack sometimes in the final third is provided by overlapping fullbacks for which Shaw is necessary.
It remains to be seen if he is indeed risked against Yamal from the start but if he feels fully fit, he gives too much to the England’s game as a whole to just drop him to avoid a battle against the teenage Spanish prodigy.
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