Football is all about overloads and finding an advantage over your opponent, but managers are always adapting and it means innovative ways are needed to keep things fresh.
At one time a game could be dictated by an attacking full-back as they often had the time and space to push forward and make things happen, but now an overlapping centre back is such a valuable asset to have.
There’s nobody in the formation to account for a centre back making a later run forward, and Kyle Walker’s run was a key reason for England’s opener against Italy tonight.
He’s often written off as a clumsy player who wouldn’t be at this level if it wasn’t for his pace, but he’s been outstanding in this tournament and this is a very fair point:
Walker makes the back 3 work. World class player that doesn’t get credit he deserves.
— Danny Higginbotham (@Higginbotham05) July 11, 2021
There’s still plenty of time to go and he will still need to defend well, but he looks like being one of the key reasons for England’s success this summer.