England vs Brazil: 8 Things You Might Have Missed On TV

8. Where Are The Wideboys?

England started with Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck in the wide midfield/forward positions: one is a winger who wants to be a striker, the other is a striker who is stuck on the wings. Neither offer massive amounts a width. Brazil started with Neymar and Oscar in nominal wide positions but both tend towards the centre, and on a pitch as wide as Wembley€™s there were times when one of the flanks did not have a single player occupy the space. It was no surprise that Theo Walcott enjoyed so much space and chance to run at the defence because players from both sides were drawn towards the middle. The full backs did not bomb forward with abandon to add width, but England€™s ability to operate effectively when the ball went wide made them more threatening. Brazil look a decent team on the counter attack but when they host the World Cup next year they will need to learn to break down obstinate defences, and they can start by using the full width of the pitch