WEIMAR, Germany — Saved by a dramatic late fightback to beat Slovakia, Gareth Southgate will take charge of England for the 100th time in Saturday’s Euro 2024 quarter-final against Switzerland under pressure to tear up his tactical plan.
The Three Lions have stumbled their way through to the last eight, winning just one of their four games within 90 minutes, and a star-studded squad who thrive when playing for their clubs has so far failed to deliver.
Yet history could still beckon for Southgate’s men in Germany, AFP reported.
England are the highest ranked side left on the ‘soft’ side of the draw with Turkey or the Netherlands waiting in the semifinals should they manage to defeat the Swiss in Duesseldorf.
Southgate has so far stuck to his guns with 10 of the same 11 starting all four matches.
There will be one enforced change to face the Swiss as defender Marc Guehi is suspended.
But it is further forward that Southgate faces bigger challenges to correct England’s imbalance.
Any questions over Jude Bellingham’s role as a number 10 appear to have been wiped away by his stunning overhead kick deep into stoppage time against Slovakia to keep England alive.
England’s Euro 2024 campaign looked dead and buried before it was salvaged by a remarkable last-gasp goal from Jude Bellingham in the round of 16, but they have barely made their presence felt in Germany.
Southgate’s men take on in-form Switzerland in the quarter-finals on Saturday in Duesseldorf, and the Swiss underlined their credentials by beating defending champions Italy in the last 16.
A couple of weeks ago, England would have relished facing Switzerland — a team they have lost to only three times in their 27 meetings and most recently in 1981.
Murat Yakin’s team, however, have played with a consistency and confidence that has eluded England.
Yakin even said he sympathised with Southgate, who has been lambasted in Germany for not getting more from his talented squad.
“I know this myself from last year a little bit, just focus on the football game, not what we read in the newspapers, that’s the only thing we can do as a coach,” Yakin said according to Reuters.
Southgate has been criticised for not making many changes to his team but that could be about to change as they practised a back three in training, with Kyle Walker moved to the right of centre three and Bukayo Saka potentially playing as wing-back.
Of concern to Southgate is the fact that defender Marc Guehi, who has been solid on his major tournament debut, is suspended for Saturday’s match, John Stones has been training with his leg heavily bandaged and Luke Shaw has not played since February due to injury.
While England has not played with three at the back since finishing runners-up to Italy at Euro 2020, it would allow Southgate to employ his wing-backs higher up the pitch.
Yakin, meanwhile, will rely on the experience of Manchester City’s Manuel Akanji and Newcastle United’s Fabian Schar to anchor the back line, with Granit Xhaka acting as the midfield playmaker.
Xhaka, who played a pivotal role in Bayer Leverkusen’s Bundesliga victory last season, was delighted by Switzerland’s win over Italy which was sweet revenge for their 3-0 thrashing by them at Euro 2020.
“I have never seen the Azzurri in such difficulty on the field as against us,” Xhaka said. “We won even before going on the pitch, just as they did with us three years ago. They were scared.”
England is bidding for their first European Championship title in 11 appearances while a Swiss victory would put Yakin’s team into the semi-finals for the first time.
The winners will face Turkey or the Netherlands in the semis.
John Stones, meanwhile, said that he hopes Jude Bellingham will be available for England’s Euro 2024 showdown with Switzerland as the Real Madrid star awaits a verdict on his controversial goal celebration.
Governing body UEFA could ban Bellingham after he was filmed mimicking a crotch grab while apparently looking towards Slovakia’s bench after his last-gasp equaliser which kept England in the tournament.
England takes on the Swiss on Saturday thanks to Bellingham, who lashed in a stunning 95th-minute bicycle kick to draw his team level at 1-1 with Slovakia before Harry Kane won the last-16 tie early in extra-time.
“He’s done it all season, come up with some massive goals for Madrid and he has done here as well,” Manchester City defender Stones said according to AFP.
“I hope he’s there, I’m not sure what’s going on with everything around that, all we can focus on is hopefully scoring a bit earlier this time.”
England takes on Switzerland with a great chance to finally break a 58-year major tournament duck as they sit on the other side of the knockout bracket to all of the other tournament favourites.
Under Gareth Southgate, England have reached the last Euros final and went deep at the last two World Cups only to fall short, in the semifinals in 2018 and the last eight four years later in Qatar.
“I think in the World Cup we had another similar run, a run that we felt we could win and it didn’t happen,” added Stones.
“We’ve got an incredible opportunity at the weekend to get through to another stage… We’ve been in these positions before and it’s time for us to realise where we are and the magnitude of these things.”
A win over the Swiss, who dumped out Italy in the last 16 and also impressed in a Group A draw with hosts Germany, would set up a semifinal with Turkey or the Netherlands.
Meanwhile Germany face Spain and Portugal do battle with France on the other side of the bracket.