England have been unconvincing in their run to the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 with many questioning Gareth Southgate’s team selections and tactics.
By Graham Ruthven
Had it not been for a stoppage time Jude Bellingham equaliser The Three Lions wouldn’t have made it past Slovakia in the round of 16. Recent reports, however, suggest Southgate will make changes for Saturday’s clash against Switzerland.
Southgate could match up against Switzerland’s back three with a similar formation of his own. This could see Cole Palmer brought into the lineup after a series of eye-catching cameos off the bench in the tournament. Luke Shaw’s fitness remains a talking point ahead of the quarter-final.
Harry Kane and Bellingham both found the net in the comeback victory over Slovakia, but neither have been able to find their top form in Germany this summer. This, of course, is something that could be said of several English superstars including Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka.
Switzerland, on the other hand, have been the surprise package of Euro 2024 so far with Murat Yakin making smart changes from game-to-game to get the most out of his squad. He has more than proved his tactical ability at the tournament.
Granit Xhaka has been a controlling influence in the centre of the pitch for the Swiss with the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder currently at the peak of his powers. England must find a way to stop him from dictating play. That could involve putting someone like Kobbie Mainoo on Xhaka to close up any space in the midfield.
In attack, Switzerland have nowhere near the level of top-end talent that England have, but they make good use of late runs from the likes of Remo Freuler and Ruben Vargas – both of whom scored in the last 16 victory over Italy – to create scoring opportunities. Any space between the English defensive and midfield lines will be exploited.
Defensively, Switzerland have genuine quality. Yann Sommer has been one of the best goalkeepers at the tournament with Manuel Akanji and Fabian Schär also proven at the elite level. England have struggled to break down low defensive blocks at Euro 2024 and could suffer once again here.
On talent alone, England are clearly firm favourites to win and make the semi-finals of a third major tournament in the last four. However, Southgate’s team are much less than the sum of their parts and that could open the door for Switzerland to extend their unexpected run to the semi-finals.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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