"?England were held to a goalless draw against Slovakia on Monday, and once again the strikers failed to make a telling impact.
Manager Roy Hodgson admitted the problems in attack, saying: "None of them have really shown they are able to score the goals we need. We aren't taking the goal chances we are creating."?
But with England's most frequent shot-takers being defensive minded players, is it in fact Hodgson's tactics that are costing the Three Lions?
England have had 64 shots in their three group games in the European Championships, scoring just three times. What's more worrying is the players currently getting on the end of the majority of chances, with centre-back Gary Cahill having had the most shots inside the penalty in the England side (5).
Holding-midfielder Eric Dier has had the most chances overall (9). There's no urgency to get the ball to the side's best goalscorers, and that's evident when looking at how few touches are made in the opposition penalty area.
Against Slovakia, striker Daniel Sturridge had just six touches in the box, only one of which was a clean shot at goal. Jamie Vardy fared better than the Liverpool man (8 touches), but the speed of England's build-up play also played into their opponents hands.
England weren't moving the ball quick enough to open up the Slovakia defence, and their slow passing style gave their opposition time to get back into shape. It's vital to move the ball fast from left to right to wear out the opposition, and if there's not an opening recycling possession is the best option, rather than taking pot shots from distance.
52% of England's chances against Slovakia were coming from outside the area, so they were very wasteful rather than looking to open up their opponents, and such instruction surely comes from the manager (29 shots, 5 on target).
Hodgson expected Slovakia's defensive approach, which is why he felt confident making so many changes, but England had no answer to it. England's average pass streak was six, just one more than Slovakia, and they forced Slovakia goalkeeper Matus Kozacik into just three diving saves in 90 minutes. Germany had 71%of their shots coming inside the area, Spain 67%.
For England's defender and holding midfielder to be getting in more shots than the strikers is a problem for Hodgson. The Three Lions need work on the movement of the forwards, while placing more emphasis on getting the ball into their best finishers.
Sturridge's lack of good touches in the box shows that not enough penetrative passes are being played, and the bulk of the good chances are going to players more likely to spurn them.
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