3) Diamonds certainly shouldn’t be forever, as the formation change saved England
England looked uninspired and lacking creativity in the first half, and this appeared to be largely down to the formation.
The diamond that Roy Hodgson has been deploying recently has worked well against the relative minnows of our Euro 2016 qualifying group, but when up against a team the calibre of Italy, the midfield visibly struggled.
Jordan Henderson and Fabian Delph’s inclusion meant there was very little width in the side, which meant the onus fell to Nathaniel Clyne and Kieran Gibbs. They struggled to create anything clear cut, and were caught out of position constantly as they pushed up the pitch.
Things looked far better after a handful of substitutions, with Ross Barkley and Andros Townsend providing far more natural width. England were a far better side in the second half, and Hodgson will have some thinking to do before their next game.