Congo’s “Iron Defense” — A Five-Back Formation That Specifically Counters Strong Teams

Why can Congo take on England? The answer is just two words—defense.

Congo head coach Desabre’s tactics are very pragmatic. When facing strong teams, he lines up in a 5-3-2 formation. In the group stage against Portugal and Colombia, Congo also fielded five defenders, conceding only two goals across three matches.

Opta’s data is even more alarming—Portugal’s combined expected goals from shots against Congo was only 0.65, and Colombia’s was also just 0.98. Congo can significantly reduce the shot quality of strong teams—average expected goals per non-penalty shot is 0.10, but against Congo it is only 0.06. Among all teams, only Spain’s defense is better than Congo’s.

Congo’s back line is led by Wan-Bissaka (West Ham), Tuan Zebe (Burnley), and Mbemba (captain). These players are very familiar with England’s forward line—Wan-Bissaka and Tuan Zebe were teammates with Rashford at Manchester United, and Vysa and Dan Burn are Newcastle teammates. They know how to defend Kane, how to defend Rashford, and how to defend Saka.

Congo’s defense isn’t down to luck—at the group stage, they only allowed opponents two “big chances.” England missed 9 “big chances” in the group stage, the most of any team.

A defense that doesn’t waste opportunities—against an attack that wastes them. The suspense of this match could be much greater than you think.

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