Euro 2024: ‘Why three at the back can bring best out of England’ – Rio Ferdinand

We have not really used the wings properly yet at these Euros, which is another way this change in formation might improve things. Again, I feel like we have the players to make it work.

Luke Shaw would be perfect at left wing-back but is unlikely to be fit so I would play Bukayo Saka on that side.

You want to get your best players in the team and Saka grew up playing at left-back, so it is not as if you are asking Phil Foden or Cole Palmer to play there.

I get why Saka would probably rather not play there now, because he has made the right wing his position, but I think if it meant winning the Euros he would play anywhere. If Southgate asks him, he will find out.

On the other flank, we’ve had Kyle Walker at right-back so far, and he is in the team to provide a safety net rather than an attacking threat.

By playing Walker on the right of your back three, you still have the best person possible to deal with attacks down that side, but we can look to the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Trippier, Saka or even Palmer to do more going forward from out wide.

My only worry if we do play with a back three is that if we take a step backwards like we often do in games, we become a back five.

If that happens, then you don’t see any of the attacking elements that, say, Saka and Trent would bring. Instead you are asking them to stay back, and focus on the weaker part of their game.

There are going to be times when we have got to drop like that, but we have to make sure that we keep the two wing-backs as high as we can. If we do that, then I am all in with this change of shape.