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ENGLAND’S dramatic semi-final win over the Netherlands was the first time the nation’s long-suffering supporters saw why the Three Lions were one of the favourites for the competition.

Now, England face an impressive Spain side who have looked strong throughout the tournament. 

Gareth Southgate has been left with a fresh tactical conundrum for the final against Spain
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Gareth Southgate has been left with a fresh tactical conundrum for the final against SpainCredit: Alamy
Ollie Watkins sent England through with his last gasp winner against the Netherlands
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Ollie Watkins sent England through with his last gasp winner against the NetherlandsCredit: Rex
But now Southgate must decide whether to drop skipper Harry Kane after a largely anonymous performance
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But now Southgate must decide whether to drop skipper Harry Kane after a largely anonymous performanceCredit: Getty

In their semi-final against France the Spanish fell behind to an early header from Randal Kolo-Muani before their quality started shining through as they comfortably won to secure their place in Berlin. 

There will, of course, be question marks for Southgate and his coaching staff coming into this match.

Despite Southgate being relatively consistent to this stage in terms of his team selection, we may well be reaching the point now where he will make one of two important changes to the team.

There are three important tactical questions coming into the final this coming weekend.

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Is it time for Ollie Watkins to start in attack?

Watkins was the semi-final hero, but could he be given the nod to start v Spain?
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Watkins was the semi-final hero, but could he be given the nod to start v Spain?Credit: Rex

From the run, the touch, and then the shot that nestled just inside the corner of the Dutch goal, the winning goal that Ollie Watkins scored to send England to the final of the tournament was a masterclass in forward play. 

Crucially, for England, the goal came from an incisive run from the Aston Villa player to give his team-mate an option to pass to. 

The touch and the finish was simply the icing on the cake. 

So far in this tournament Harry Kane has struggled to create the same kind of impact and his movement, or relative lack of movement, when leading the line has been problematic for the English.

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That is not to say, of course, that Kane has become a bad player overnight.

The Bayern Munich striker has led the line effectively for England for years. 

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However his tendency to come back towards the ball as opposed to making runs behind that can stretch the opposition have slowed the English attack down so far in this tournament.

Often it is players making runs from the midfield who attack the space, rather than England's main marksman Kane.

Bellingham is pushing high in possession but it is Foden who makes the most aggressive forward run as Kane holds his deeper position and does not move to attack the space
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Bellingham is pushing high in possession but it is Foden who makes the most aggressive forward run as Kane holds his deeper position and does not move to attack the space

Against Spain, who are the most technically gifted and possession-dominant team in the competition, it will be extremely important for England to be effective when it comes to stretching the play.

In particular they must not allow the Spanish to push up and operate as a compact block in possession. 

This means that they need their striker to push on to the last defender for the Spanish and to threaten the space behind the defensive line with movement and work rate.

This could mean that Southgate would be better to go with Watkins as the option to lead the line. 

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The Villa striker is more athletic and mobile than Kane at this stage of his career.

Watkins has the capacity to really make consistent runs behind that will force the Spanish to defend deeper than they will want to.

The Villa striker makes just the type of runs and movement that could be the key to unlocking the Spanish defence.

There is no doubt that dropping Kane, as the captain of the team, would be a huge decision from Southgate. 

Here, Watkins' positioning makes him ready to make a run to go beyond the defensive line and to attack space behind
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Here, Watkins' positioning makes him ready to make a run to go beyond the defensive line and to attack space behind

He is England's all-time record goalscorer - with 66 goals in 97 appearances for his country.

Yet I believe that dropping Kane would give England the best chance to win the tournament.

Benching Kane and opting for match-winner Watkins would give England a new line of attack

And most importantly stretch the Spanish defence to create space for the playmakers like Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka in midfield.

It is time to bring Luke Shaw in?

Southgate has a decision to make on Luke Shaw's playing time
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Southgate has a decision to make on Luke Shaw's playing timeCredit: Rex

The left-back position, or left wing-back as it may be now, has been a highly contentious issue for Southgate since the start of the tournament. 

Having selected only one left-sided defender in the squad in Luke Shaw the fact that the Man United player has barely been fit enough to feature has caused huge issues for England. 

Over the last two matches, however, we have seen Shaw at least come off the bench and as soon as he is on the pitch, as a natural left-footed player, England have immediately looked more balanced.

To this point we have seen Southgate choose to use the Newcastle right-back Kieran Trippier on the left-side.

This is the kind of attacking movements that we can expect to see from Shaw. With Bellingham in possession Shaw looks to make an aggressive run to run behind the defensive line
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This is the kind of attacking movements that we can expect to see from Shaw. With Bellingham in possession Shaw looks to make an aggressive run to run behind the defensive line

Trippier is a superb full-back with obvious quality both in the attacking and defensive phases of play. 

As a right-footed player though he has a clear tendency to want to take a touch inside and pass back across the pitch when he is in possession on the left. 

This tendency has seen England look extremely passive on the left-side of their attack.

Having a natural left-footed player as the left-sided wing-back in this new system that Southgate has started to use will mean that Spain cannot effectively narrow off the field and it will force them to defend the whole pitch. 

With Trippier passing and playing passively and back inside or even backwards this will not be the case with a left-footed player on that side.

The same extends to situations where the left-sided fullback gets opportunities to cross the ball and get the ball into the final third or the penalty area. 

Shaw receives a long crossfield pass from the far side deep in the Dutch half. He takes a single touch to steady himself and then fires a low cross into the box with his left foot
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Shaw receives a long crossfield pass from the far side deep in the Dutch half. He takes a single touch to steady himself and then fires a low cross into the box with his left foot

Having a player who is naturally left-footed receiving the ball on that side of the pitch means that the cross can come quickly and with quality. 

When a right-footed player receives the ball on this side there is a clear tendency for them to come back onto their right-foot and to cross from a deeper angle.

If ever there was a time for Southgate to take the chance on Shaw’s fitness it will be coming into the final this weekend.

England have to shut down the Spanish midfield

Preventing Rodri from dictating play will be a key mission for England
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Preventing Rodri from dictating play will be a key mission for EnglandCredit: Getty

The technical quality of this Spain side spreads through their entire squad but their midfield unit takes things to another level. 

Despite losing Barcelona midfielder Pedri to injury during the tournament, we have seen their midfield barely miss a beat between Rodri, as the deepest midfielder, and Fabian Ruiz and Dani Olmo as the more advanced midfielders.

England will, of course, be fully aware of the threat of Rodri given that they come up against him during the Premier League season with Manchester City.

But this does not mean that he is easy to deal with.

Here, we see Rodri picking up possession in transition and driving forward to attack the space
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Here, we see Rodri picking up possession in transition and driving forward to attack the space

Part of the threat from the Spanish midfield, however, is that they all have complimentary profiles that allow them to work as a unit.

The way they space the pitch with wingers staying outside and then midfielders driving forward to occupy and attack space is also a problem for opposition defenders.

While Spain have been effective in moments of transition as they attack quickly and into space they are more dangerous if you let them dominate the game and control possession of the ball. 

In these situations, when they can squeeze the pitch and play higher.

Dani Olmo is positioned in a pocket of space just outside the area and Spain's accuracy to find players allows them to exploit space
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Dani Olmo is positioned in a pocket of space just outside the area and Spain's accuracy to find players allows them to exploit space

The fact that the Spanish midfielders can all receive and play quickly in tight spaces and on minimal touches makes them exceptionally dangerous.

England will have to find a way to limit the space that Spain have to play in and to prevent the midfield from easily playing through them.

Conclusion

For England to have reached this stage of the tournament is no mean feat and there can be no doubt that they have improved significantly as the tournament has gone on. 

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This will be their biggest test yet though as Spain have consistently been the most impressive side in Germany.

The outcome could hinge on whether Southgate is brave enough to drop his captain Kane and pick match-winner Watkins instead.

England vs Spain record

England have played Spain 27 times in total - here is a look at every result...

  • May 1929, Spain 4-3 England - International Friendly (L)
  • December 1931, England 7-1 Spain - International Friendly (W)
  • July 1950, Spain 1-0 England - World Cup (L)
  • May 1955, Spain 1-1 England - International Friendly (D)
  • November 1955, England 4-1 Spain - International Friendly (W)
  • May 1960, Spain 3-0 England - International Friendly (L)
  • October 1960, England 4-2 Spain - International Friendly (W)
  • December 1965, Spain 0-2 England - International Friendly (W)
  • May 1967, England 2-0 Spain - International Friendly (W)
  • April 1968, England 1-0 Spain - European Championship (W)
  • May 1968, Spain 1-2 England - European Championship (W)
  • March 1980, Spain 0-2 England - International Friendly (W)
  • June 1980, England 2-1 Spain - European Championship (W)
  • March 1981, England 1-2 Spain - International Friendly (L)
  • July 1982, Spain 0-0 England - World Cup (D)
  • February 1987, Spain 2-4 England - International Friendly (W)
  • September 1992, Spain 1-0 England - International Friendly (L)
  • June 1996, England 0(4)-(2)0 Spain - European Championship (W)
  • February 2001, England 3-0 Spain - International Friendly (W)
  • November 2004, Spain 1-0 England - International Friendly (L)
  • February 2007, England 0-1 Spain - International Friendly (L)
  • February 2009, Spain 2-0 England - International Friendly (L)
  • November 2011, England 1-0 Spain - International Friendly (W)
  • November 2015, Spain 2-0 England - International Friendly (L)
  • November 2016, England 2-2 Spain - International Friendly (D)
  • September 2018, England 1-2 Spain - Nations League (L)
  • October 2018, Spain 2-3 England - Nations League (W)

Overall, England have won 14, drawn three and lost 10 matches against Spain.

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