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Gareth Southgate will change players, not the system, as he plots England evolution

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Gareth Southgate suddenly faces a searching test of his post-World Cup methodology.

The England boss has been steadfast in his belief that a switch from the 3-5-2 system which facilitated a run to the semi-finals in Russia to a more enterprising 4-3-3 shape is a necessary element of his team’s evolution.

Friday’s 2-1 defeat in the Czech Republic was not a disaster in isolation, but the widespread concern it evoked is a product of longer-held fears being realised which have previously been masked by results.

Last month’s 5-3 win over Kosovo is the most obvious example, as England’s substandard defending and questionable game management were outweighed by an attacking display that frequently bordered on the devastating.

In Prague, England were worse at the back, wasteful going forward and the less said about the midfield, the better.

If the principal risk of a 4-3-3 is that England are too open — an issue Southgate recognised and sought to address four days ago by tweaking to a 4-2-3-1 before abandoning that plan at half-time — then it has to consistently yield greater potency in the final third than in evidence against the Czech Republic.

Southgate, understandably, believes that performance was merely an anomaly rather than evidence of deeper, systemic problems. “I think it [4-3-3] has been very effective and we have to stay calm on the back of one result, that we don’t throw everything out of the window,” he told Standard Sport. “The best way to improve is to play in the same way and play better and do it with better detail. And, of course, there are players who we’re giving football to in key areas, like Declan Rice, who’s still 19 years old.

“I’ve got to always remember that we’re putting a lot of onus on young players and sometimes it is important maybe to turn to your more experienced players in those moments and say, ‘Okay, this is the time for a solid performance, get back on track, remember the objective is to qualify’.

“We’ve been trying to qualify, develop the team, blood players, and the other night that didn’t quite work for us. But it’s the first time it hasn’t.”

Bulgaria have never beaten England in 11 meetings (four draws, seven defeats) and do not possess the same quality as the Czech Republic, but this evening remains an examination of Southgate’s theory that their previous outing was merely a bump on the right path, rather than evidence of muddled thinking.

It was noticeable he singled out Rice, given the clamour to start Harry Winks on Monday night has grown since Friday’s display. Yet Rice missed training yesterday with a cold and that may have tipped the balance in Winks’s favour.

England will have to make one enforced change, with Danny Rose suspended and spared the journey to Sofia. Ben Chilwell will deputise, while Trent Alexander-Arnold may come in for Kieran Trippier on the opposite flank. Mason Mount was unable to impact the game as hoped on his full debut, but that was as much down to England’s system failure during the first half, rather than any shortcomings on the Chelsea youngster’s part.

Southgate added: “These are the decisions we’ve got to think about because we haven’t hit the level we need to. And so you have two choices: you either change formation or you change personnel.”

Changing formation significantly would be an abandonment of more than a year’s planning. There has been little time to work on a seismic shift, too, and so freshening the team up in personnel terms appears the most likely course of action, especially given some of the concerns about the team’s direction would be lessened with a positive showing here.

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These dilemmas occupy Southgate’s thoughts and the hope is that remains the case after a week-long narrative over fears of racist abuse. The locals here have either bristled at the suggestion or shown indifference to the issue -altogether, while both Southgate and England captain Harry Kane walked a diplomatic tightrope effectively enough upon arrival last night.

Kane said: “There is a protocol that UEFA have put in place which, as a captain, I have a little bit of a responsibility in. From my point of view, that is all I can say. Nobody is expecting it to happen, we are focusing on the game.”

Southgate also fielded questions on another off-field issue: James Maddison, a player yet to win a cap and already withdrawn from the squad, showed sufficient naivety to put himself in a position where he was pictured in a casino at the exact time England were struggling against the Czech Republic.

It is hardly the crime of the century, but the optics do not look good, especially given the Leicester playmaker could have been in contention tonight, with Southgate looking to reinvigorate his starting line-up. As it is, the manager must rely on more familiar options in search of a win that could seal their spot at Euro 2020. Doing so convincingly here would boost confidence in his planning for that tournament.

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