Scouting report on Panama - why England should be careful

With four points from two games, England hope to secure top spot in their World Cup group with a victory on Saturday against Panama. The Central American team is relatively unknown, but it has an exciting team whose results do not reflect the true quality of their performances in the tournament. Against Ghana and Croatia, there were times when Panama looked like the superior team. However, with the injury of their best player, Adalberto Carrasquilla, they struggled to convert their good play into goals. How should Thomas Christiansen, former coach of Leeds United, arm his team and how can the English team create problems for the 42nd ranked team in FIFA?

During their first two matches, Panama adopted a dynamic approach depending on the phase of play. In opposing goal kicks, Panama presses aggressively in a 4-4-2 formation. If the opponents have quality with the ball and are positioned further up the field, Panama's high press turns into a half block, changing to a 5-3-2. Their focus is to make it difficult for their opponents to play. As Croatia dominated the match, Panama adopted an even more defensive stance. Their 5-3-2 transformed into a 5-4-1, a formation they used with a deep defensive line for much of the game.

England are a team that relishes the challenge of facing a team that takes the field - if Panama try to press. It was in the 93rd minute that Panama conceded a goal against Ghana as they searched for a winning goal. When they lost the ball in the final third, Panama pressed high, but Ghana took the opportunity and quickly exploited the space that opened up. Against Croatia - and also in the qualifying games - it was clear that Thomas Tuchel's game model was based on provoking opponents into a stubborn defensive manner. When Croatia put pressure on England's defenders or midfielders, and space opened up between the attack and defense units, Tuchel's team quickly looked for their own attackers in situations of numerical inferiority in defense.


Panama are an "intermediate" version between Ghana and Croatia defensively and could be more successful if they adopt a style closer to that of the Africans against England. There are three ways for a team to create chances: playing around the opponent, playing through the opponent or playing over the opponent. By playing with four midfielders instead of five in their 5-4-1, Panama will not be able 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 opposing defenders to find their full-backs or wingers and move quickly from one side to the other. Therefore, playing around Panama will probably be the best way for England to create opportunities. Croatia's only goal came from exploiting this weakness as Panama tried to protect the center of the field.

England have also tried to keep their wingers high and open in this tournament, and doing so against a Panamanian defensive line would pull the winger out, much in the same way Croatia did. Against Ghana, England tried to play with two open players, given the congestion in the middle of the field. Tuchel was seen shouting at full-back DjedSpence on the outside, encouraging him to pass to Anthony Gordon before making a run forward to follow up his pass, much like Croatia's goal against Panama. This is something Tuchel hopes his players will put into practice in their third match. The space that opened up between the defender and full-back when the Croatia winger moved wide is also an area to be explored. Panama's defensive line, even in its 5-4-1 formation, appears taller than Ghana's. This opens up the possibility of playing over them as well. Ghana asked Thomas Partey to mark Harry Kane and neutralize his influence while giving him little space behind their defense. It will be interesting to see if Panama imitates this man-to-man marking tactic. If Kane can move freely, however, dropping him back to make precise passes into space behind Panama's slightly higher line could be a smart tactic.

When Panama has possession of the ball, they show strong technical quality to escape the opponent's immediate pressure. Midfielder Cristian Martinez stands out in this aspect. One of England's greatest strengths at this World Cup, however, comes from their counter-attacking pressure - with even their biggest stars dedicating themselves to working hard, surrounding the ball and winning it back immediately after loss. But if Panama can find quick, short combinations before speeding up the game - whether on the same side or making a switch to the opposite wing - they can be dangerous. Their quick attacks often end in crosses rather than passes through the middle. If Panama maintain the version of their 5-4-1 that we have seen so far, there are solutions that England can look for, as highlighted above. For that reason, it will be interesting to see if they adopt some of the tactics that Ghana used so effectively. They have an attacking threat of their own, but have failed to finish these opportunities regularly. And there is also the issue of Panama not being able to qualify for the next round, regardless of what happens against England. They will naturally want to win regardless of this fact - but without an incentive, how motivated they are and how many changes the manager makes to their team will be factors that influence their performance.