EURO 2022: Sarina Wiegman's attacking patterns

Wiegman goes into her first competitive tournament. What have we learned about the way she wants to attack?

This is probably England’s most cohesive and dynamic team. An incredible amount of squad depth and expectations have matched reality, at least during the friendlies. The attacking portion of England’s play has been a lot more active and it seems to have unleashed the potential of some of their best players. The attacking talent in Sarina Wiegman’s squad is extensive with a good mixture of strikers, wingers, and attacking midfielders, with each position filled with various profiles of players of varying skill sets.

The way in which Wiegman wants her team to attack is very much in line with the strengths of the players she has at her disposal. The way they build up puts them in a good position to have their forward players in decent attacking positions. 

There are two distinct sequences regarding forward movement patterns: how the team operates with the wingers/full-backs and the central players (strikers/attacking midfielders). These players work in tandem yet also have individual responsibilities. Both sets of players involved have a mixture of set instructions and creative freedom.

The basic principle is to create numerical advantages in the forward areas whilst overloading one side of the pitch to create an underload on the opposite flank. The 4-2-3-1 setup does interchange with a 4-3-3 with the second No. 8 pushing up to act as a No. 10 in the attacking phase of possession.

I’ll come to the role of the central midfielders later on, but it’s their versatility in the attacking and defensive phases of play that becomes important in helping England maintain a balance and controls the transition both on and off the ball. The resulting verdict is in fact to give Lauren Hemp space to drive against her full-back and utilise her strength in taking on players in 1 v 1 duels. 

The forwards are a combined unit that come into their own once England enter the final third. There is heavy importance given to the wide players as Wiegman wants them to be central to the way England attacks. The wingers need to be durable and interchangeable whilst the central striker needs to occupy the penalty area with some importance given to link up play in a vertical line rather than moving through to the channels.

The concept at its most basic level is keeping a pretty standard 4-2-3-1 shape. What you see here are several numerical superiorities that forces teams to have to commit players to shift across. The central area is the sort of place the centre-forward will occupy and manoeuvre within.

The first phase is all centred around getting the ball into dangerous areas through interchanging and creating short passing triangles with the players closest to them, often the full-back, winger, attacking midfielder, and at times, the central midfielder. Wiegman wants her striker to stay central to attack the box rather than run the channels constantly. With the numerous players occupying the half-space, the centre-forward needs to be ready in the middle to capitalise on the inevitable crosses or threaded balls.

The second phase is triggered when play progresses to the point of creating the final movement or pass. What I mean by this is when England look to get the wingers/full-backs into a crossing or final passing position. I’ve touched upon the need for the centre-forward to stay central so that when the ball is crossed in, there are at least a couple of players to attack it in the box. That 1 v 1 moment or overlapping/underlapping movement is a sign that England are in a position to create clear-cut opportunities.

Going back to the Arnold Clark Cup tournament, White’s goal against Germany was a classic example of how England’s attackers – especially the centre-forward – position themselves.

The first clip is a recreation of the goal where possession starts deep with Keira Walsh with the ball played into Leah Williamson before coming inside towards Georgia Stanway. The interior movement from Fran Kirby initiates the pass towards her. While Fabienne Dongus is attracted to Georgia Stanway, Kirby is able to drive into the space, receive the pass and play it forward, and it’s at this point the second phase is triggered and play speeds up. 

Though Kirby’s lucky the ball hits the defenders and bounces back, Kirby’s pass to White, who in this entire sequence has maintained her position centrally in an area that spans the frame of the goal. Short, subtle movements enabled her to take a good first touch and score. 

This is possibly why White is such a good fit, where she’s able to carry out some form of link-up play whilst ensuring she maximises her real estate space. White is a decent striker with her back to goal and using her physicality to be a connector for some of the intricate play is important. Most pertinently, she’s an excellent penalty box poacher. 

A player like Bethany England is much more suited to interchanging positions because of the tactics Chelsea use, but here she is another useful option when it comes to occupying the central space and getting on the end of high crosses.

Part of me thinks that Wiegman’s use of a White-type forward is because of White herself. The role calls for a more link-up type forward that can interact with the diminutive playmakers and silky touches in build-up before taking up a central position to finish, which is why I think there are two more capable forwards to carry this out.

The first is Alessia Russo who is England’s other centre-forward with a combination of skills from both Bethany England and White. The Manchester United striker is a physical presence and a mobile player that has good movement and can connect with the players around her. If the friendly against Switzerland was anything to go by, then maybe Russo is England’s eventual heir to the striker throne. There is an argument to be made that she should start for England against Austria.

However, in my opinion, the player most suited to the role is Rachel Daly, but she is currently considered a pure full-back. Daly arguably has the best link-up and movement combination of all the forwards available. Playing as a striker for Houston Dash, Daly understands the patterns required in a mobile centre-forward and has shown traces of her intelligence when playing as a full-back. The way England play in the forward line suits Daly’s game in matching her ability to occupy the box, possess excellent ball control, and have the spatial awareness to be in the right positions. 

Her instincts and movement patterns align with the principles of Wiegman’s tactical philosophy yet she’s used primarily as a left-back. Now, there are legitimate reasons for this and some of which I think make a lot of sense given the style of play employed. Why Daly is such a good fit for the centre-forward position is because of how she can link up with the No. 10.

The No. 10 is Wiegman’s conduit. This player is the fulcrum that connects the defensive and attacking transitions, ensuring England constantly maintains useful possession. They’re tasked with creating chances and linking play, but also in taking up goal-scoring positions in and around the box. Their off-ball responsibilities are as important to the game plan. Stanway’s movement in the example below is typical of what an attacking midfielder will do in an attacking situation. Her movement from deep in midfield to the edge of the box shows great timing to arrive on time.

The No. 10 patrols the space between the two half-spaces to support any attacks down those flanks, whether it’s combination plays on the right or stretching play down the left. Their importance cannot be understated. How this comes together is where the secret of playing to everyone’s strength lies.

Moving on to the other attackers, the two wingers are slightly opposite profiles to each other. One’s an inside-forward capable of playing in the interior channels, cutting inside and driving past players to shoot whilst also operating on the outside, sliding in crosses. The other winger is an orthodox wide forward that enjoys hugging the touchline and putting in accurate crosses. 

Having said that, there are hardly any wingers that are purely in the mould of the traditional, touchline winger now. Most of them have elements of this multi-functional, modern wide player comfortable playing both in the exterior and interior channels.

England’s main focal point are the wingers. The goal is to get the ball to them and allow them space to attack the box and their opposing defender. From the right, the winger can play in small, tight spaces, using the full-back, attacking midfielder, and a central midfielder to bounce passes, and create quick combination plays when England are in possession and building up to attack. From here, the ball is either played out to the overlapping player or the winger is played through in a position to cross/shoot from the edge of the box. 

On the left, the winger is usually isolated given how the focus and orientation of both teams are towards the right. In this case, they stay alert and slightly inwards to receive the switch of play before bursting towards the box to cross or shoot. The left-winger is a competent 1 v 1 artist and is comfortable playing on both sides, though they must make split-second decisions to beat their marker. Hemp is the starting left-winger and is their best player in this position. Her ability to beat a full-back, especially when given space and room to attack, has this breathtaking quality about her when she gets on the ball that you fully expect her to whip a sublime cross in. 

Creating that imbalance in the pendulum of the 4-2-3-1 requires the left-back to be much more disciplined to give the attacking player more freedom tucking in to create a back 3. There are times when play is routed through the left-hand side and the No. 10 comes across to interchange play but the aforementioned build-up and attacking strategy is still their main go-to. We’ve seen Ella Toone do this movement a lot and even scored against the Netherlands in this way.

This goal is what I would consider England’s perfect goal. From planning to execution, the sequence was an archetype of a Wiegman goal. This came in the friendly against the Netherlands to make it 2-1 from Beth Mead. Though it came down the left, the principles were clearly in effect. Kirby dropped deep to connect and progress the ball, which was quickly passed off to Daly before a first-time pass into Walsh. Kirby’s movement pulled two Dutch markers away and opened up the space in behind for Walsh to receive in space as she stepped off her own marker. One threaded pass between the centre-back and full-back followed for Hemp to run onto and cross into Mead’s path in the box.

The result was essentially a diving tap-in but Mead’s goal was a culmination of 18 months of work and the attacking players settled in their roles. One of the key indicators of a settled attacking unit in this system is the ability of their rotation players to slot in and maintain the same level of performance left by the starters. The full-back roles are key to allowing the wingers to operate as I mentioned with Hemp and the left-back. The right-back has an equally important role in playing an aggressive attacking game but has to be switched on to track back and defend the vacant space.

The central midfielder’s role in the attacking mechanisms is more evident off the ball than on it. The players in the double-pivot are distinctly contrasting in how they operate. The defensive midfielder sits deeper and is more of the distributor and defensive anchor – typically Keira Walsh – whilst the No. 8 is a roaming playmaker though not in its traditional definition. The premise is for this player to move between the lines and act like another No. 10 when England are in possession yet provides a balance in defensive transitions. The movements forward create a more 4-3-3 shape and this player is given licence to attack down the right channel to help with the overloads in that area.

Leah Williamson has been Wiegman’s preferred central midfielder given her composure and presence defensively but also in an attacking capacity. Using Williamson in this role is a clear sign of balance for the ‘big’ games where England can conform their tactics from possession-based to a counter-attacking style and vice versa. Both Walsh and Williamson provide that.

What we saw against the Netherlands, Germany, and Spain was a tactical battle that needed this sort of double-pivot. Williamson drove into the half-spaces not only to receive but to also create more space for the right-winger and No. 10 to attack the spaces in behind and receive in influential pockets near the edge of the box.

The clip shows some patient build-up from England and the eventual result sees some smart play from Williamson pulling players out of position to receive in the box from Bronze’s pass to Hemp who backheels it for the captain.

Of course, the other option is to drop Williamson into her more natural centre-back role but England are still searching for another No. 8 that can be more aggressive and consistent in the games they have much more possession and will be situated in the opposition half for most of the game. The first half against Switzerland in their final warm-up game was an indication of this. Stanway was chosen as the central midfielder for that game and showed glimpses of a more attack-minded No. 8 but her off-the-ball work needed improvement after giving away some cheap fouls. However, this is the sort of role England want from the central duo. 

Off-the-ball work is another important aspect of the way England attacks. As another method of creating chances, the Lionesses employ a man-marking system that uses a mid-block shape and presses again in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-2-4 shape. Now, they do press aggressively, but a lot of that comes from different triggers – mainly in counter-pressing situations.

Winning the ball back becomes important and if they do manage to win it high up the pitch, it becomes easier for the fluid forwards to capitalise. But given how a lot of their duels are engaged centrally, the double-pivot steps in to trigger their defensive duties and apply pressure. Below is England’s duel map against Germany, showing where they won back the ball.

The pressing shape becomes important. Without getting into the details, it demands a high work rate, a willingness to win the ball back and exploit the unorganised back lines. 

Wiegman has instilled a belief and revitalised a few players in this squad like Beth Mead who now looks to be a mainstay. I think her memo would have had to get her forwards firing on all cylinders consistently as a priority, but being able to ensure the benched players come on and slot in seamlessly has Wiegman going above and beyond what is expected in a relatively short amount of time given how long international managers have with their squads.

Photo by Lynne Cameron - The FA/The FA via Getty Images