Scouting Report: Why England Should Be Wary of Panama

With four points from two games, England will hope to seal top spot in their World Cup group with victory on Saturday against Panama. The Central American side are a relatively unknown quantity, but they are an exciting team whose results do not paint a true picture of their performances in the tournament. Against both Ghana and Croatia, there were periods of the game when Panama looked the better team. But with arguably their best player Adalberto Carrasquilla injured, they have struggled to turn their impressive play into goals. So how might Thomas Christiansen, the former Leeds United manager, set his team up and what can the Three Lions do to pose problems for Fifa's 42nd-ranked nation?

Panama's Many Shapes

During their first two games, Panama have taken a dynamic approach depending on the phase of play. From opposition goal-kicks, Panama have stepped up to press aggressively in a 4-4-2 shape. If the opponents have quality on the ball and find themselves in possession higher up the pitch, Panama's high press falls into a mid-block, and they move from a 4-4-2 into a 5-3-2. Their focus is on making it hard for teams to play through them. As Croatia, in particular, grew into the game, Panama took an even more defensive approach. Their 5-3-2 became a 5-4-1, a shape they adopted with a deeper defensive line for large parts of the game.

What This Means for England

England are a side that will relish the prospect of playing a team that push up the pitch—if Panama do try to press. It was in the 93rd minute that Panama conceded against Ghana as they chased a winner. When they lost the ball in the final third, Panama pressed high but Ghana played into their forwards quickly and they capitalised on the space that opened up. Against Croatia—and in the qualifying games—it was clear Thomas Tuchel's game model was similarly built upon teasing opponents out of a stubborn defensive shape. When Croatia did press England's defenders or deep midfielders, and space opened up between their attacking and defending units, Tuchel's side sought to find their own forwards quickly against fewer defenders. Against Ghana, England suffered because Carlos Queiroz's men offered an alternative blueprint that took away Tuchel's preferred conditions, instead sitting deep without applying forward pressure. This kept Ghana compact between attack and defence.

Playing Around Panama

Panama are an 'in-between' version of Ghana and Croatia defensively and may have more success if they adopt a style closer to that of the Africans against England. There are three ways for a team to create chances: by playing around an opponent; by playing through an opponent; or by playing over an opponent. By playing with four midfielders rather than five in their 5-4-1 shape, Panama will be unable to cover the width of the pitch as well as Ghana did with their five midfielders in a 4-5-1. This makes it easier for opposition defenders to find their full-backs or wide midfielders if they move the ball quickly from one side to the other. So, playing around Panama is likely to be England's best way to create chances. Croatia's only goal came from exploiting this, with Panama looking to protect the centre of the pitch.

England have tried to keep their wingers high and wide this tournament too, and doing so against a Panama back five would pull their wing-back out in the same way Croatia did. Against Ghana, England looked to play with two wide players, given how congested the middle of the pitch was. Tuchel was seen shouting at full-back Djed Spence from the touchline, encouraging him to pass it into Anthony Gordon before making a forward run to follow his pass, in a very similar way to Croatia's goal against Panama. This is something Tuchel will hope his players lean into in their third game.