Gareth Southgate ‘holding England back’ and wasting world-class attacking talent by sticking with 3-4-3 system, fumes Jamie O’Hara

Gareth Southgate has been accused of ‘holding England back’ with his defensive tactics.

And the manager has been told the Three Lions won’t have a chance of winning anything if he doesn’t change to a more attacking-minded formation.

England go into Sunday’s Nations League clash against Belgium on the back of a run of just one defeat in their last nine matches, but Southgate’s persistence with a 3-4-3 has prompted plenty of questions about the manager’s tactics.

Southgate has come under fire for sticking with a 3-4-3 formation despite England’s lack of regular goalsAFP or licensors

The Three Lions sealed their place at Euro 2020 with a convincing qualifying campaign that saw the team win seven of their eight group matches and score an impressive 37 goals.

They have played only six games since then but have managed to find the net just nine times, with a goalless draw with Denmark and then a 1-0 defeat to the Danes highlighting the system’s weaknesses.

Despite those setbacks, Southgate has insisted he plans to stick with his three-at-the-back plan, insisting they ‘need stability’ to make it work as he looks to get his team ready to challenge for the European crown next summer.

“To win tournaments you have to keep clean sheets,” the manager said earlier this year.

“In the biggest games one goal can make a difference, but we have obviously got to work at the team to make sure we are a team which is an attacking threat like we were in the qualification campaign.”

O’Hara believes Southgate is ‘holding back’ England and the talented attacking players at his disposalGetty Images - Getty

While England have claimed great results against Belgium, Wales and the Republic of Ireland in recent games, the team’s unconvincing attacking displays have led to plenty of calls to revert to a more attacking system.

And Jamie O’Hara believes Southgate is actually doing more harm than good by sticking with a 3-4-3, insisting England have the potential to be an attacking force ‘the world should be scared of’.

Speaking on Drivetime, the former Tottenham midfielder said: “My biggest problem with England and Southgate at the moment is that formation is holding us back.

“The 3-4-3 formation is too defensive, you always end up going to a five [at the back].

“You can still play three up front, but I just think you’re holding back the amazing quality we posses going forward.

“So, for me, Gareth Southgate is actually holding the England team back.

“You can beat Ireland and teams like that, but when we go to a major tournament and you come up against the big teams in the big moments…

“I think we’ve probably got the best five attacking players in Europe, so why are we not playing them all?

“In my opinion you have to play 4-3-3. I want to see Marcus Rashford off the left, Harry Kane up front, Raheem Sterling off the right, and I want to see Mason Mount and Jack Grealish in midfield, with Declan Rice sitting.

“That is the best you can get out of those players.

“When you’ve got five players who possess that much quality, the world would be scared of seeing that team sheet.”