British Winger, Raheem Sterling, in 2012. Football.ua [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0), CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
Sending the ball up to a target striker as quickly is known as “Route One”. This style of play employs long lofted balls up field and crosses into the middle as opposed to shorter ground passes. The British philosophy is to get the ball up to the forwards as soon as possible (Clark). Therefore, the most important position on the pitch for the British is the striker. The ideal British striker is one who can not only power their way past defenses on the ground, but also be capable of making quality connections in the air to head the ball into the goal. Size, strength, aggression are necessities (think Wayne Rooney). Another crucial position in Route One Football is the winger, or wing midfielder. Wingers need to be the fastest players on the pitch. It’s their job to get the ball down field and play quality crosses to the target striker. Raheem Sterling and and Alex Oxalade-Chamberlain fit this mold very well.
England’s style of play is both fast-paced, and entertaining. There’s nothing quite like watching the physical, no-holds-barred British style of football. Bodies flying every which way, bloody-noses, scrapes, and bruises are definitely not rarities. It’s also very simple and easy to implement. Get the ball. Get it down field. Take a shot. It’s not painstakingly difficult to find someone who can play a decent long ball, a couple quick wingers, and a big striker to wait up front to receive a pass. Central midfielders play mostly a supporting role and aren’t expected to preserve possession (Howard). Most youth teams adopt this kick-and-run style due to it’s simplicity (Clark). It may not be pretty, but with the right personnel Route One can take you straight to the top.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ntoi4rRMgsE
Andy Carroll is another good example of a big British target man.
How to Cite this page: “England’s Route One: Simple and Effective”, Written by Andrew Jordan(2016). Olympic Football 2016 Guide, Soccer Politics Blog, Duke University, http://sites.duke.edu/wcwp/tournament-guides/olympic-football-2016-guide/team-playing-styles-in-soccer/englands-route-one/route-one-simple-and-effective/, (accessed on (date)).
