Watching England struggle to break down Senegal in the first half of their World Cup clash last weekend, Ian Evatt may well have had a chuckle to himself.

Gareth Southgate’s side had been experiencing many of the same issues in possession as his own side has encountered in League One this season – the lack of penetration, the trouble finding space, the reluctance for some players to step forward and create an extra man further up the field.

In the end, England unpicked the Senegalese lock to book their place in Saturday’s quarter final against France. Wanderers have usually found the answer too, albeit not without long spells of frustration for those watching in the stands.

No matter what the level of football, there is always a puzzle to be solved on the pitch. And Evatt believes his players are getting wiser to what is needed to break down opposition who attempt to choke his preferred brand of possession football.

“When Liverpool come in to see us, or we speak with the people at Manchester City, they all still have the same problems,” Evatt told The Bolton News. “They are all still trying to find how to get their strikers scoring goals or problems from set pieces, that is just the way football is.

“We are always trying to find solutions. We do a lot of work on opposition via reports, all the due diligence you would want, but then when you turn up on a Saturday all of it could be torn up because they could do something completely different.

“A lot of teams are turning up, particularly here at home, with a gameplan specifically to stop us, so we need to be able to react and respond quickly against those problems.

“The players are getting better at that all the time.”

Shrewsbury’s season to date suggests they will allow Bolton as much of the ball as they like if Saturday’s game at the Greenhous Meadow survives the freeze.

Steve Cotterill’s side have averaged 41.9 per cent possession this season, only Morecambe (39.7) have given up more.

But they have proven adept at set pieces – particularly when bringing their central defenders up from the back – and possess quick players in attack and midfield that Evatt warned could do damage if they are so allowed.

“You need to be switched on at set pieces, switched on for the fast counter attacks that they are capable of launching,” he said of his side’s next opponents. “And, to be honest, most games look like that for us now.

“We dictate the ball, I think we’re second in the division for possession, so that is just the way we do it. Again, there is no right or wrong way, it is just our way.

“And then we need to make sure our control positions when we are attacking are good and that the lock out is there.

"Set plays are just a case of doing your job – it’s you against your marker and you have to make sure you do it to the best of your ability.”