How Gareth Southgate’s 3-3-2-2 system could work at Huddersfield Town

The dust has settled on England’s unexpected World Cup run to the semi-finals and now we’re all looking ahead to the forthcoming season. One thought that has stuck with me since England’s exit from the tournament is how England’s tactical system might also work for David Wagner and Huddersfield Town.

Here’s a look at how Town’s players could slot into the system that England used to good effect in the World Cup.

WARNING: This might be a bit boring if you’re not into dissecting football tactics. Feel free to skip it, I won’t be offended!

The formation

England played the majority of the tournament in an unorthodox 3-3-2-2 shape, which was notably different from the systems most other countries played. The most common formations were something similar to Town’s regular 4-2-3-1 or the kind of 5-3-2 that many Premier League teams play since Conté started playing three at the back a few seasons ago.

The thing I found interesting about England’s system was that it almost surrenders midfield entirely and instead emphasises overloading the forward areas and allows the defence to carry the ball forward. This system was part of the reason England started so strongly against Tunisia, with Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard bombing forward and finding space to attack.

While Wagner doesn’t have the players at his disposal that Southgate had at the World Cup, we could still borrow this shape and tactical system.

How Town might line up using 3-3-2-2

Here’s the team I’d pick if we used the same shape as England had in Russia for the World Cup:

The advantages of this system

There are some pretty big advantages to this system. Firstly it allows Town to get Zanka, Schindler, and Kongolo all on the pitch in their preferred positions. I think Schindler in particular would benefit from this system because of his ability to step out of defence and make tackles. There would be two other central defenders to cover him, so he can rat around as much as he likes in midfield.

Another advantage is that Mooy will be allowed the licence to bomb forward and support the attackers. It’s widely accepted by Town fans that we need Mooy in central midfield too much to deploy him as an out and out number ten, but using this system Hogg sits in the midfield and the two other midfielders can get in the box and support the attacks. This will also mean Mounié isn’t isolated.

England also played with a high press, which is obviously something Town’s players are used to doing, so we’d be able to win the ball back high up the field and catch teams when they’re out of shape. Pritchard is particularly good at pressurising defenders into mistakes and capitalising on their errors.

This system is also fairly solid if you’re playing superior opposition that keep the ball for the majority of the game. When the wing backs and midfielders get back and into position there’s a solid base, and the two attackers can stay upfield and wait for break away opportunities.

The disadvantages of this system

There are some problems with using this formation, which England found too. It’s easy to get overrun in midfield when you push the attacking midfielders so far forward. Hogg would often be caught three on one and, despite his ability to be everywhere at once, might struggle to shield the defence single-handedly.

There’s also a potential for a lack of width if the wingbacks are pinned back by the opposition wingers. Town are (hopefully) investing heavily in wingers this summer, but it’s a struggle to fit that kind of player into this system unless they either play as wingbacks or as the second striker.

There’s also the usual problem of any high pressing system, where the players rushing forward to break up play leave space behind them for the opposition to play into. Town are generally pretty good at restricting these spaces by playing a high defensive line, but this then leaves the long ball over the top available to the opposition. Last season’s home game against Spurs showed how ruthlessly top teams can exploit a high defensive line, when Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen (among others) tore our defence to shreds.

Are Town likely to play this formation next season?

So far this preseason, Town have played our established 4-2-3-1 formation in all the friendlies. Even playing players outside of their usual position to keep the shape. David Wagner’s entire football philosophy is grounded in this formation, so I suspect it’ll be the one we play most often.

However, our first year in the Premier League showed that teams with smaller budgets need to be flexible with their tactics, particularly against the best teams. We used a five-at-the-back system to good effect in the Man City and Chelsea away games towards the end of the season, so I’d expect to see it again. Adapting that shape to the one Gareth Southgate used in Russia wouldn’t be a huge leap, and would mean Town offered more of an attacking threat than we did when we played David Wagner’s version of five at the back.

The truth is that I don’t know what formation Town will play next season, but it’ll be interesting to see. I got the feeling that last season was as much an adjustment for David Wagner as it was his players. This coming season will show us exactly how much he’s learned and whether he’s able to find a reliable way to squeeze points out of the games with the top teams. This system could be an option for him.