UEFA Nations League: 5 reasons why England will beat Spain

#3 Spain could be susceptible to set-pieces

England

were

deadly from set-pieces during the World Cup

No team in the 2018 World Cup made quite so much of their set-pieces as England. The Three Lions scored 12 goals in the tournament, and just three of them – two against whipping boys Panama – came from open play. Harry Kane scored three penalties, but the other six were all delivered by set-piece routines.

Corners, in particular, proved to be a dangerous weapon for England, with four goals coming directly from them, as Southgate and his coaching staff deployed a tactic nicknamed the ‘Love Train’ that had apparently been utilised by League Two side Lincoln City.

Spain meanwhile conceded six goals in Russia, and worryingly for a side about to face England, four of them came from dead-ball situations. Sure, you can’t really knock them for conceding a penalty and a world-class free-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo against Portugal, but the defending of a corner that led to a second Moroccan goal was woeful, and worse still was the defending from a corner that saw them concede a penalty against Russia.

Against England, Spain simply cannot hope to mark in the same sloppy way during dead-ball situations and come away without conceding. Southgate’s men are too well-drilled – and defenders like John Stones and Harry Maguire too good in the air – to allow them to get away with it. If they haven’t improved in that area, it might well cost them on Saturday.