Slovakia reached the knockout stages of a major tournament for the third time ever, following their qualification from Group E, as third in a group with Romania, Belgium, and Ukraine. This represents a very positive result for Slovakia so far as they were capable of getting the same number of points as the three of them, making Slovakia finish the group stage as one of the best third-placed teams (based on goal difference) and therefore they will be facing England in the Round of 16 at Veltins-Arena.
It is also important to note that Slovakia reached the last 16 only in the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2016, which means that Slovakia have already achieved their target in this competition. They strive to reach an even more advanced stage this time and surprise everyone, especially when knowing that they are playing without tension or excessive stress.
Slovakia should exploit the fact that they are the underdogs in this game and that England are the favourites to win. Putting extra pressure on England while playing in a relaxed way can help Slovakia a lot in this match, as England are already under significant pressure.
Slovakia have all what is needed to make a surprise in this match, like they did against Italy in 2010 when the latter were the actual World Cup winners at that time and needed to avoid losing against Slovakia to pass the group stage. Slovakia exploited the pressure put on Italy at that time and were capable of winning 3-2 and turn the table on Italy when no one expected them to win.
This time, we can argue that Slovakia have even got some more skilful and talented players than in 2010. These players can make the difference against England, especially when knowing that there is a lot to attempt against this team who might look fragile during some moments in the game and who certainly have weaknesses to focus on and try to exploit in Slovakia’s favour.
Following Slovakia’s win against Belgium in their first match of the tournament, Slovakia can believe even more in their chances of beating England. They did the same against another powerful team like Belgium despite their advantage on all levels. It is true, however, that Slovakia then lost against Ukraine and drew against Romania. Yet, their win against Belgium shows that they are capable of disturbing big teams and that it is more beneficial for them to be the underdogs and not the favourites to win.
In this tactical analysis and scout report, we will try to identify Slovakia’s strengths and how they can exploit England’s weaknesses. The analysis will also answer the question of which tactics Slovakia will need to use to succeed in making a surprise against England.
Key players
After the Italian Francesco Calzona took charge of the national Slovakian team, he tried to change the team’s playing style by trying to exploit the best traits of his experienced and emerging players. He also succeeded in making Slovakia play a rather more “modern” playing style based on more possession than before, on high pressing and on exploiting opponents’ weaknesses, knowing that Slovakia used to opt for a more defensive playing system during the previous tournaments, with the reliance on one or two players only upfront.
It is also true that former Napoli player Marek Hamšík used to be the one player leading Slovakia’s midfield and attack and that he is irreplaceable. Nevertheless, Calzona did his best to make up for Hamšík’s absence by allowing the talented Stanislav Lobotka to be the team’s playmaker while protecting him with defensively powerful midfielders like Juraj Kucka and Ondrej Duda.
This midfield trio can be considered underrated as it guarantees a lot of quality and is very important to Slovakia’s attack. It is true, however, that Slovakia do not have a world-class striker to make the difference for the team. Yet, they try to compensate for that with the reliance on dangerous wingers like Lukáš Haraslín and Ivan Schranz to support the striker Róbert Boženík.
Defensively speaking, it is essential for Slovakia to have a defensive leader like former Inter Milan and actual PSG’s Milan Škriniar, who puts his experience at the service of Slovakia and guarantees the organisation of the defensive line.
That being said, Škriniar and his defensive teammates will need to be extra attentive both on the wings and centrally as they will be facing some of the most dangerous wingers, such as Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden, in addition to the striker Harry Kane.
Playing style and defensive duties are needed to exploit England’s attacking weaknesses and limit their threat
The defensive line’s work will be crucial in this match, especially when marking Kane. Since Slovakia plays according to the 4-3-3 most of the time, it will be vital for them to defend with numbers and instruct midfielders to cover extensively on both wings to prevent both Foden and Saka from finding themselves in one-on-one situations with their direct markers.
For instance, this conceded a goal against Ukraine highlights an error within Slovakia’s defence. Neither Lobotka nor Vavro marked the goalscorer before he got the ball, even though he was inside the box waiting for a cross. Lobotka, Kucka, and Duda will need to be very attentive in this regard, as they will have to mark England’s forwards tightly in similar areas. Otherwise, it will be complicated for Slovakia to resist England’s attacks.
Credits: Fubo Sports
At the same time, Slovakia will need to exploit the lack of movement within England’s attacking players. Most of their players avoid making runs in behind and prefer to get passes at their feet, with the exception of Saka. Slovakia can use this in their favour by intensifying their marking on Kane, Foden, and Bellingham to limit England’s passing options and oblige them to opt for dribbling centrally or trying to look for marked wingers.
Also, it will be important to prevent or try to deviate shots from distance from the likes of Kane, Declan Rice, Bellingham and Arnold, as these players do often look for shots from distance opportunities and have excellent shooting abilities. At the same time, blocking the shooting trajectory for Saka to prevent him from using his curved shots will be necessary for Slovakia’s defence to avoid conceding goals from distance, as this is one of England’s attacking strengths.
In this regard, it should be said that Slovakia are never afraid to make decisive interventions inside the box, even when they leave gaps initially. Their ability to react positively and with a lot of conviction and intelligence using well-timed sliding tackles to stop or deviate shots, as in this example, makes them difficult to score against.
Credits : Fubo Sports
How to exploit England’s midfield and depth issues and punish them
Slovakia are capable of hurting England in the Round of 16 if they focus on their opponent’s weaknesses and use their own strengths in a way that exposes these weaknesses further. One of the weaknesses highlighted previously in our articles is England’s lack of progressive movement and support in midfield. Since the team relies mainly on Jude Bellingham only to move “freely” and try to penetrate between the lines, it will not be complicated for Slovakia to disturb England’s build-up and limit their passing options in midfield. It will be crucial to mark Bellingham, though, especially when he tries to penetrate between the two defensive lines of Slovakia.
England’s lack of cohesion in terms of passing and movements between players like Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham, and Manchester City’s Phil Foden mainly presents an opportunity for Slovakia to exploit this. Slovakia can use high pressing and tight marking to push all of them into committing mistakes and, therefore, intercept the ball more frequently.
Slovakia have already proved that they are capable of applying high pressing in a fruitful way against Belgium, obliging them into committing passing mistakes and, therefore, winning the ball in key areas and having more chances to score goals.
The same method is more likely to be fruitful against England, as their defenders, John Stones, Marc Guéhi, and even Kyle Walker, are expected to make mistakes if they are pressed extensively in their own half. The following picture highlights Slovakia’s effective high pressing against Belgium, which led to a crucial goal for Slovakia.
Credits : TSN 1
Moreover, Slovakia proved against Ukraine that they have quality midfielders capable of hurting any defence when they advance to support the attack. Lobotka’s excellent key passes are the source of Slovakia’s danger, and even if England try to mark him tightly, it will be complicated to stop his key passes as he has great control of the ball and ball protection abilities that allow him to resist disturbance and still be capable of providing the needed passes.
Also, Kucka might seem like a regular midfielder, yet he proved previously that he is a goalscorer who finishes actions well whenever he gets inside the box and receives passes. Therefore, he offers an excellent addition to Slovakia’s attack and have already scored a header against Ukraine when he advanced to support the attack and received an outstanding first-time assist from Lobotka.
Attempting such actions against England and using midfielders in support of the team’s attacks will be vital to surprising England’s defence and to confusing their marking instructions.
Credits : Fox Sports 1
Conclusion
Slovakia should believe in their chances of beating England as they need to exploit the fact that the latter are receiving a lot of criticism lately and that they are under pressure. Being the underdogs and starting the match with the feeling of having “nothing to lose” can make Slovakia a lot more powerful during this match as they have the qualities needed to surprise England, especially if they remain attentive enough in defence, avoid making fouls in dangerous areas and support their attacks with Lobotka and Kucka who can make the difference up front.
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