Pep Lijnders’ Euro 2020 tactical diary

[VamPook]

Pep Lijnders’ Euro 2020 tactical diary: A young genius, why Grealish is dangerous and what went wrong for France

Euro 2020 has been an absolute triumph for the collective.

I’ve loved watching it every step of the way. I’ve loved the commitment of so many teams to an attacking style of football. I’ve loved the tactical battles between different systems. I’ve loved the sight of supporters back inside stadiums across Europe and the atmospheres that have been generated.

Credit to England and Italy for making it this far. They deserve to be there. I wouldn’t bet on the outcome of Sunday’s final. It’s too close to call. Two evenly matched, well-balanced teams.

What a fantastic job Gareth Southgate has done. England’s past has shown how difficult it is to create an 11 with such unity and togetherness. So often they have fallen short in major tournaments but he has combined the players’ talent with passion, determination and clear tactical plans. They are a really impressive unit who clearly enjoy playing for each other. This is what Gareth has achieved.

I may be Dutch but Liverpool has been my home for the past seven years so I’ll be cheering on England. In the final I want to see that English passion mixed with the attacking football we know they have in them against an Italian team full of experience, irreverence and a love of both technique and risk taking. What an occasion it promises to be.

Throughout the tournament I’ve been keeping a European Championship diary for The Athletic. Over the past month I’ve written about the games, the teams, the formations and the individual players who have caught my eye. This is what I learned from Euro 2020. I hope you enjoy it.

Magnificent Danes

International football is the soul of football. There are no directors involved, no transfers made. It’s just about pure education about the tactical culture created over decades. I live and love this aspect of the game. I feel blessed that I was born in the country of Johan Cruyff and Wiel Coerver.

One of my strongest beliefs as a coach is that you have a duty to entertain. For decades in Holland, fans have chanted: “aanvalluh, aanvalluh”. It basically means “we want you to attack”. When I was younger I got goosebumps every time I heard it. I grew up with this idea of football.

This game can attract the eyes of the biggest variety of people in the world. Jorge Valdano said the ball only smiles when the player smiles and that summed it up nicely.

Which country made me smile the most? Denmark. What a response from them to the shock of what happened to Christian Eriksen. Energy from the feet of Joakim Maehle, character from captain Simon Kjaer, creativity and talent from Mikkel Damsgaard and then the brain of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. They were fun to watch.

I saw their players playing with both their heads and their hearts. When you have a close holy trinity between players, manager and fans — all united in one belief — then things tend to work in your favour.

Their counter-attacks were so well executed. They moved the ball so well in high-pressure situations. They always had options to pass the ball. Their set-pieces helped create chaos. Sadly, over time, with the changes, the injuries and fatigue in the semi-final, they lost some of that. They were winners for me. Thank you for your football, Denmark. You brought us all joy. They will be talked about like their class of ’92.

Kante magic but France pay for tactical switch

What a player N’Golo Kante is. He makes sure the ball almost never smiles for the opposition. He proves that it’s not about how tall you are in this game, it’s only the height of your performances that count. He is not a No 6 who dictates the tempo but a No 6 who covers so much space. He played so well in the group stage for France, who were one of the tournament favourites.

What went wrong for them? I try to live by the saying “only coach to improve the silence”. What I mean by that is don’t change something that’s working so well. France changing the system to a back three for their last-16 tie gave Switzerland a bigger chance to progress. In that system, France were missing fluidity and spontaneity in offensive moments.

Even after changing to 4-2-4 in the second half, they were lacking in the offensive to defensive transition. They were missing players well positioned in the centre to stop the counter-attack. Switzerland utilised the spaces that opened up.

France are world champions. With so much individual quality and such a clear identity, they shouldn’t have been losing sleep about the opposition in my opinion. Yes, still do your homework and create a game plan. But you should always try to keep the same mental landscape for the players. I am a great believer that each system has solutions for a single problem from a different opposition structure.

De Jong has wow factor

Better not to discuss the Dutch team in general but I want to talk about the main individual: Frenkie de Jong. Wow, just wow. He is the best we have in that position in front of the defence. He influences each attack. He’s our version of Andrea Pirlo. Try to get the ball from him and you will be dizzy! Coerver is clapping his hands somewhere in heaven watching De Jong play.

The consistency he shows playing himself out of pressure situations is so special. He has the Dutch self-confidence but with pure humbleness. The best ones stay humble. The best ones become examples to others. Frenkie also benefits from having such an experienced all-round midfielder like Gini Wijnaldum next to him.

Frenkie understands it’s not about him, it’s about togetherness and the team. The collective part he gets, the glue that holds everything together.

It was a double loss for me seeing the Dutch lose to the Czech Republic in the last-16. Not only did we get knocked out but we all lost seeing Frenkie on this stage.

4-3-3 v 3-4-3

One of the most interesting games for me was Germany v Portugal during the group stage. Firstly, because of the confrontation between the two most used systems, 4-3-3 v 3-4-3. Secondly, because we wondered what the reaction would be after Germany’s defeat to France in their first game.

A Germany with aggression or a Germany without is two worlds apart. The Germany we saw that night (against Portugal) made them look like a contender to win these Euros. It was a proper transformation, injecting new intensity. They changed tactics without changing the system. In the opening minutes, it was like a tornado rushing over Portugal, who couldn’t make six passes. Bad positioning after losing possession meant that Germany could attack over the full width with Joshua Kimmich and Robin Gosens the standout players as a result.

Full-back to full-back goals are a new surprise set-up in football version 2021 — we saw a few in the group stages. The question is can you do it with a back four like we have at Liverpool? That’s my dream goal by the way. It means so much more than the goal itself. It means that the team is playing with complete determination.

We live in a time where five at the back is gaining a new impulse. But watching Italy or Spain playing the positional game based on the authentic 4-3-3 structure, I’ve seen the best football both collectively and tactically. It’s easier to make good defined triangles around the ball and protect the inside spaces defensively while pressing. Because of this, players can play with more determination and expression.

England’s great strengths

Gareth Southgate’s England have many different tactical faces. All of them are balanced well.

One of the best characteristics of this fit and fresh England team is their ability to transform very easily from a possession team to a counter-attacking team. We saw that in the hard-fought win over Germany.

Despite changing their system to a back three, England couldn’t overcome the press of Germany consistently and at times found it difficult to press a deep-lying Toni Kroos. But Raheem Sterling was key in deciding the outcome. He used one of his great qualities, taking the ball and carrying it quickly towards goal.

Jack Grealish, who played so well off the bench in that game, gives this England team both temporisation and unpredictability. He gives others time to move into better positions which was especially crucial against Germany when England were only playing with three attack-minded players.

With Mason Mount and Jadon Sancho out there against Ukraine, you got more of an immediate impulse to their possession, but only in the second half after moving to 4-3-3 did it become really fluid with more natural triangles.

The biggest task for the manager of England in major tournaments is balancing emotions and giving direction. So far neither praise nor criticism has affected them and that bodes well. I’m sure having the experience of Jordan Henderson around this team has helped. I got goosebumps watching his celebration against Ukraine. Organisation is vital but you also need to be unpredictable and use your set-pieces.

In Wednesday’s semi-final, Denmark adjusted well after the opening 15 minutes with Jannik Vestergaard defending in midfield to take the overload away with Harry Kane dropping. Backpasses continually triggered the press for Denmark with the closest centre-back or wing-back jumping out into midfield. It was clever how they used their tallest players to help take Jordan Pickford’s sight away for Damsgaard’s free-kick.

But England responded so positively to conceding for the first time in the tournament. They got in behind the three centre-backs, whose body positioning wasn’t great.

Once England were in front in extra-time, it was a bold decision by Southgate to take off Grealish, who he had earlier subbed on. It’s not the first time that’s happened to a player and it won’t be the last. Especially in tournaments, you have to play the moment. It’s easier to do that when you can make six subs. Changing to 5-4-1 and managing the game in the closing stages showed a great capacity collectively to adapt to what they needed defensively at that time.

By then Denmark’s main problem was that they were dropping too deep collectively. After England brought on the fresh legs of Henderson and Phil Foden, it became clear that there was only one team who would go to the final.

Respect for Portugal

Many players play the game but only really understand it after their career. With 90 per cent of the Portugal players, I have the feeling this is not the case. That’s really something special and a compliment to that nation. Big respect. They’re a team who know exactly what they want in each moment of the game and on top of that they have Cristiano Ronaldo, a killer of so many teams and a leader. And you know the crazy thing? Their next generation is even better than this one. They deserved more against Belgium in the last-16. It was decided by fine margins.

Italy have three fine pianists

The difference between a good and a top team is the individual quality of the front three. Their consistency in creating can take you from controlling a game to dominating. A lot of things you can and should train but as Albert Einstein explained while logic will get you from A to B, imagination will get you everywhere. This part is what gives colour to our game. Logical patterns are so important but you also need intuition.

Bill Shankly compared a football team to a piano — you need eight to carry the piano and three to play it. The three need to be involved collectively in each moment. The best ones just find each other blindly.

When I watch teams play, I have this ugly characteristic where I imagine how I would prepare and set a team up before a certain game. Who would be my midfield three? Who would be my piano players? Which four will have the speed and attacking mindset to play in my last line? It’s a guilty pleasure of mine.

Italy’s front three of Federico Chiesa, Lorenzo Insigne and Ciro Immobile have excited me. They can defend deep and counter. They can play high and create. They can combine and help the team advance. I like their connection.

You only get that understanding over time. That’s what I like about Roberto Mancini, he chooses and sticks. I prefer front threes to front twos. The third man gives proper life to a combination.

Mancini changed the personality of this Italy team. We can say he brought new life to the tactical collective culture of Italy. “Piano piano” (little by little) with the ball, calm playing, pass after pass, including all players, searching for a breakthrough. He continued the characteristic of Serie A in recent years and added domination of the ball and domination of the pitch.

Standouts for me include Chiesa who anticipates with everything he does, an elegant mover who is constantly wanting the ball. This is in combination with the big heart and calmness of Nicolo Barella. Manuel Locatelli’s goal against Switzerland, meanwhile, was a glimpse of real Euros-winning quality.

Leonardo Spinazzolla is the example of their identity change, a constant threat down the left side, like a winger creating. It always helps if you receive the ball from the inside facing the goal. They lost an important piece with his Achilles injury. It was a cruel blow.

I like teams who can attack through the inside. Insigne showing initiative instead of the extra pass to the side. When Italy scored their second goal in extra-time against Austria in the last-16 they had five players inside the box. If you don’t commit players forward, it’s like boxing without punching, it’s boring. When the moment is there, Italy aren’t afraid to really hit you.

I learned from Jurgen Klopp that the better you press and the better you counter press, the more you can attack with complete freedom. Pressing makes the game more creative. Letting the ball smile, playing with your heart and defending better to attack more freely are great steps to creating a successful team.

In Holland we say, “first do what you need to do, second do what’s useful and then do what’s pleasant.” Italy play with that same order. Stability creates consistency, consistency creates cups.

Discipline is the most valuable asset in team sport and the best backlines are organised and tight. Italy’s has been the standout during the tournament. They have an antique defensive duo in Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, but they seem to see and hear more every year they play, always controlling the movements of the opposition. Calmness characterises the world-class centre-half and they have two of them.

Tiki-taka version 2021

Spain play version 2021 of tiki-taka, a lot of the ball but players far away from each other. With slow passes they have to go around the opposition constantly, never really entering inside the opposition structure.

One of my guilty pleasures is watching back Cruyff’s Barcelona. It triggers my mind in a positive way. I like teams who are close to each other always on the pitch.

I’m a real fan of Luis Enrique but it was clear after the group stage they needed to make a big step. Spain evolved during the tournament with little tweaks in their game model, step by step implementing more successful dynamics in offensive moments, improving the connection and timings between players. That showed the intelligence of Enrique as a coach.

He deserved a medal for picking Pedri. I have crazy respect for that boy. Just 18 years old and the best young midfielder in Europe. He designed so many attacks for Spain.

If only you could measure football smartness or confidence then we would finally have some useful statistics. When the opposition has a pressing mentality, you can make it tough for them if your passes are firm and quick.

Spain immediately improved 30 to 40 per cent in offensive moments against Switzerland in the quarter-final when they changed the triangle on the left with Dani Olmo moving inside as an extra player between the lines, Jordi Alba pushing up and Pedri dropping outside the opposition structure. They created chance after chance and it was a miracle they didn’t win the game in extra time.

The penalty shootout showed that it’s better for keepers to wait rather than go early and gamble. That’s how each penalty got saved.

Spain surprised Italy by playing Olmo as a false No 9 in the semi-final. Cruyff used to say that when two centre-backs are so good in the challenge just put no-one against them and they won’t know what to do.

The moments when Spain could free Olmo between the lines and arrive with new players in the striker positions were the most dangerous. A simple overload against Jorginho created issues at times. The equaliser came from a real striker in Alvaro Morata combining with the false No 9, who had been moved to play between the lines from the left.

Refs have been fantastic but cheats need to be punished

Compliments to all the refereeing teams at Euro 2020. They’ve had great control over the games without losing the respect of both teams. The whole world speaks about VAR, the good and the bad. But if there’s one thing that I believe should change in football to immediately improve the essence of the game, it’s harder punishments for obvious tactical fouls to stop counter-attacks.

It should always be a yellow card. Six seconds or two passes later the ball could be in the net but by allowing these fouls to continue these chances are being taken away.

The cheaters need to be punished harder. It would increase the positivity, speed and attraction of the game. The amount of counter-attacks would increase.

The final chapter….

I love major tournaments and in particular I love finals — the ultimate test of whether you deserve the right to become a real champion. Finals are different on every level and you need the highest level of concentration. Every training session has been preparation for nights like this.

Who will play with the biggest heart at Wembley? Who will earn the right to make history? For big players, the bigger the occasion, the more they like it. This is where you really need your leaders.

What I’ve learned from big finals is that you don’t need many words on the day itself. The message is “be yourself”. Trust in yourself, trust that your methods, style and specific way of playing that brought you here will be enough. I learned that the hard way. Some things I vowed will not happen again.

Don’t change, stick with the intentions you’ve created and developed. It’s true that the biggest lessons you only learn in the darkest places.

England and Italy have been building up to this point for a long time. Let’s hope we get the thrilling finale this fantastic tournament deserves.

Edited July 11, 2021 by VamPook

[DJ]

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De Jong has wow factor

Better not to discuss the Dutch team in general but I want to talk about the main individual: Frenkie de Jong. Wow, just wow. He is the best we have in that position in front of the defence. 

 

Which is why I still think we would be better off playing 4-4-2 diamond or 3-5-2 with him hanging behind the midfield or basically anything that puts Frenkie on the 6 position. He can tackle, calmly dribble out of a tight situation, distribute the ball, pass it between the lines, anything you want from that position. I would have no qualms at all orchestrating everything around him. You have a gem? Use it!

[The_jagster]

I am completely with him on deliberate fouls needing to be punished with yellows, when so much of football now is about capitalising on transitions.