Gareth Southgate is under a lot of pressure and is finally feeling the heat of the media and the fans which will be at its peak when England takes on Switzerland in the third quarter-final of the Euro 2024 on Saturday in Dusseldorf.
Despite reaching their fourth tournament quarter-final in succession, the Three Lions look like a team of world-class players instead of a ‘world-class team’ that lacks the passing patterns of Spain, the midfield control of the Germans and the defensive organisation of earlier English sides despite having the best players from the Spanish, German and English leagues this season.
Southgate acknowledged the issue in a recent press conference,
“We know we should be better than we’ve been but we’ve ended up with a lot of young players in important positions and trying to solve problems right the way through the four weeks of the camp. But the standout is the way the players are dealing with it. Their togetherness, their spirit.”
On the other hand, Switzerland is flying high on confidence and playing with more authority. After eliminating Italy in a surprisingly one-sided battle in the Round of 16, Murat Yakin’s team would back themselves to expose England’s recent weakness against teams that sit back deep to reach their first-ever tournament semi-final.
Current Form
England’s road to the quarter-final has been bumpy. Southgate’s men topped the group ahead of Denmark, Serbia, and Slovenia with only one win and could not even record an xG of 1 in any group-stage match.
But their Round of 16 clash was the straw that broke the camel’s back as Slovakia completely dominated the Three Lions for most of the game before surrendering to Jude Bellingham’s genius overhead kick in the 94th minute. Harry Kane scored another in the 1st minute of Extra Time to wrap it up but England should consider themselves lucky not to lose the game.
On the contrary, Switzerland is unbeaten in their last 8 games and is having a brilliant campaign by their standards as they almost finished the group on top only to get disappointed by a 92nd-minute equaliser by Germany’s Niclas Fullkrug.
The Swiss raised their game even more in the knockouts as they completely dismantled the Azzurri 2-0 in the Round of 16 with Ruben Vargas running rings around the Italian defence and a pair of Freuler-Xhaka bossing the midfield.
Head to Head Record
England comfortably leads Switzerland in the head-to-head record. The English won 19 of their previous 27 games while losing just 3 and haven’t lost to the Swiss since 1981.
Both teams faced each other in the European Championship group stage twice. Their clash in the 1996 edition was a draw, and England came on top comfortably in the 2004 edition.
Interestingly enough, both the managers featured in the group stage clashes as Southgate represented England in 1996, and Yakin was at the receiving end of Wayne Rooney’s masterclass in 2004.
Team News
Marc Guehi will miss the quarter-final due to suspension
To add more headache to England’s team selection, Marc Guehi is suspended from the quarter-final after receiving a booking in the opening minutes of the Slovakia game. The Crystal Palace defender has been one of England’s best players at the Euros.
With no Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw still out injured, Southgate can go with Ezri Konsa is expected to partner John Stones at the heart of defense.
For Switzerland, Granit Xhaka will undergo a scan to determine the severity of his muscle complaint that saw him miss a training session before the game against Italy. But the former Arsenal midfielder is expected to start against England, and Switzerland’s lineup might remain unchanged.
Predicted Starting XIs
England (4-2-3-1): Jordan Pickford; Kyle Walker, John Stones, Ezri Konsa, Kieran Trippier; Kobbie Mainoo, Declan Rice; Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon; Harry Kane
Switzerland (3-4-1-2): Yann Sommer; Fabian Schar, Manuel Akanji, Ricardo Rodriguez; Dan Ndoye, Remo Freuler, Granit Xhaka, Michel Aebischer; Fabian Rieder, Ruben Vargas; Breel Embolo
Prediction
Switzerland is a team in form but England has more quality in every department. The Three Lions will start this game as the favorites due to their experience in the big tournaments but the Swiss side will make their life difficult on every turn.