HIT OR SWISS
Three ways England can upgrade and beat Switzerland at Euro 2024 but Southgate must be brave if he’s to succeed
These improvements need to happen if England are to keep the Euros dream alive
ENGLAND’S reward for somehow stumbling to an unconvincing win over minnows Slovakia in the last-16 is a clash with the in-form Swiss.
Switzerland looked very impressive in overcoming Italy to reach this stage and they are probably the toughest opponent that England will have faced so far at the Euros.
Murat Yakin's men one of the most compact and organised nations in Germany, especially when they breezed past holders Italy last time out.
This will be England manager Gareth Southgate’s 100th game in charge, and the stakes could not be higher.
Southgate is considering a switch to a back three for the quarter-final tie in Dusseldorf, and they have practiced it in training.
Switzerland played with a back three and England also struggled against Serbia and Denmark who also played with the same set-up.
Southgate could switch Kyle Walker to central defence with either Kieran Trippier or Trent Alexander-Arnold at right wing-back.
Potentially, Bukayo Saka or Luke Shaw if fit could move to left wing-back.
With Marc Guehi suspended Ezri Konsa is currently first in line to replace the defender.
But it could be as part of a new-look back three with John Stones in the centre and Kyle Walker on the right.
Moving to a back three could give Southgate the option to start with two strikers although he has preferred to play with two attacking players behind Kane.
Whatever the formation, 3-4-3 or 4-2-3-1, there are three key things that England must do if they are to beat the Swiss and keep their Euros dream alive.
The midfield has been Southgate’s biggest headache throughout this tournament.
The experiment of using the Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold as the deep midfielder partnering Declan Rice did not work out in the first two group stages.
Chelsea’s Gallagher was named in the role against Slovenia in the group stage.
But was hauled off at half-time and replaced by Man Utd star Mainoo, who went on to start the next match against Slovakia
It is likely that Mainoo will again be the player chosen to play alongside Rice as the young midfielder did not look out of place against the Slovakians.
The key for England in this match, regardless of who plays in the midfield positions, is to find a way to progress the ball through the midfield areas and into the final third.
That means having midfielders who are comfortable in possession.
But it also means having players positioned ahead of the ball who are in position to receive the pass in pockets of space that they can exploit.
This has been one of the Swiss team’s biggest strengths.
Switzerland have been one of the best teams in the competition when it comes to controlling the midfield and progressing through the thirds in possession of the ball.
Led by the former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka the Swiss have been aggressive in possession of the ball.
They are adept at stretching the play to take advantage of the pace that they have in the attack.
In order for England to control and dominate the midfield areas in this game they need to be aggressive in possession, and move the ball forward.
They need to push the Swiss to defend back towards their own goal.
If they are not aggressive in their passing in this match and if they are not possession dominant then they will give Switzerland an opportunity to impose their style of play on the game and England will automatically be on the back foot.
The issues around the midfield for England have been one of the biggest question marks in this tournament so far.
With Mainoo and Rice in the middle, hopefully Southgate and his coaching staff will have figured this out as they enter the quarter final stage.
The midfield needs to be brave and be more aggressive with the ball, to put the Swiss on the back foot and force them into making mistakes.
Numerous times in this tournament England have effectively left their back four isolated as the opposition attack.
While, to an extent, this has worked out for England with the pace that they have with the likes of Walker and Guehi in the defensive line it is not an effective strategy as they go deeper into the tournament.
With Guehi suspended for this match due to an accumulation of cautions it is likely that Konsa of Aston Villa will take his place, possibly in a back three.
But England will still have to be careful given the sheer pace that Switzerland have in their attack.
England have been stretched numerous times in this tournament with the midfield pressing higher and leaving significant gaps and spaces between their line and the defensive line.
If they continue to play in this manner in this quarter final match then prepare to see a few races between the English defence and the Swiss attack.
With the likes of Breel Embolo and Dan Ndoye, Switzerland are one of the quickest attacking teams in the tournament.
They will look for opportunities to attack in behind the English defensive line wherever possible and especially on the left-side of the English defence where Kieran Trippier is not the quickest of fullbacks.
Indeed, this is the side where we will see Switzerland use Ndoye as they look to stretch the pitch and attack space behind the defensive line.
In this match it will be important for England to keep the spaces between their midfield and defence tight in order to deny the Swiss the space to attack.
The performances of Harry Kane have attracted criticism throughout this tournament.
But once again when England needed a goal in extra time against Slovakia it was the Bayern Munich man and England captain who provided it.
It is fair to say that Kane has not looked as mobile in this tournament as we have seen him previously.
But he has still been effective in terms of receiving and holding the ball before linking the play.
Yet at times he has looked isolated.
It will be crucial for England to get players forward and around Kane in order to support the attack and make runs that will threaten to break through the defensive line for Switzerland.
Throughout this tournament Switzerland have looked solid and secure at the back.
Led by the impressive Manuel Akanji from Man City, Switzerland consistently defend in a medium block that is compact with very little space between the lines that the opposition have been able to take advantage of.
This is why the movement from England players to get beyond the ball when Kane drops in to receive the ball is so important.
They have to find ways to stretch the game out and to give the Swiss defenders different problems to defend against.
If the likes of Saka, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden can make these forward runs then England might cause Switzerland real problems.
If England are going to come out of this game with a win then it will be important that they release runners aggressively to look to disrupt and break down the defensive organisation from the Swiss.
England have not impressed so far in this tournament but they have still put themselves in a position where they are only two wins away from the final.
England have the talent to overcome the Swiss in this game but they need to play as a more organised team.
