England’s prospects looked bleak when Breel Embolo poked in Switzerland’s 75th-minute opening goal in Dusseldorf. Gareth Southgate, overseeing his 100th game in charge of the national side, was staring at the very real possibility of it being his last.
Later, in the warm glow of victory, he would talk up the performance as England’s best of the tournament so far. But at that point, a goal down with 15 minutes to go, his side were yet to even muster a shot on target. Improved, maybe, but with little to show for it.
As in the last-16 against Slovakia, though, when Jude Bellingham’s overhead kick forced extra-time, England only needed one to make the breakthrough, Bukayo Saka the scorer this time as his stunning strike, having cut inside from the right, crashed in off the post.
It felt like he had got Southgate out of jail. This, even more than Bellingham’s goal against Slovakia, came out of nothing; a flash of individual brilliance in another blunt collective display.
Penalty decision-making, tactical plans and England’s streetwise nature were on the agenda during Gareth Southgate’s press conference after the game
But it should be noted, too, that it would not have occurred at all had his manager heeded widespread calls to move Saka to the left rather than persist with him on his preferred side.
So, did Southgate get lucky or does he deserve credit?
Maybe both things are true. Maybe it doesn’t matter anyway. The key point, after all, is that, following a penalty shootout in which the coolness of England’s takers bore stark contrast to the nerves of those watching, they are in the last four, the dream still alive.
Fans are entitled to wonder, though, why, as Switzerland boss Murat Yakin made early changes, Embolo’s opener arriving roughly 10 minutes after the introductions of Steven Zuber and Silvan Widmer, Southgate again delayed, not making his first substitutions until England had fallen behind.
This apparent inertia has become a feature not just of this tournament but Southgate’s tenure as a whole. And yet, as against Slovakia, when he himself admitted Ivan Toney’s displeasure at only being sent on in stoppage time, it all worked out in the end.
Sky Sports News’ Rob Dorsett delivers his verdict on England’s win over Switzerland
Southgate could point to Toney’s role in Harry Kane’s extra-time winner in that game. Against Switzerland, he can point to the fact that, in Cole Palmer, Toney and Trent Alexander-Arnold, three of his substitutes, once they finally made it on, scored in the shootout.
Should it be this difficult? Southgate has been at pains to point out that performances and playing style only count for so much at major tournaments. But England, while successful to this point, have made the supposedly easy side of the draw look anything but.
For all their attacking talent, they remain oddly listless in front of goal. England are semi-finalists and yet they rank 12th among the 26 teams at the tournament for shots on target, below four sides who played fewer games. They rank in the same place for expected goals.
The numbers look even less inspiring when taking the two knockout ties in isolation. England have generated chances worth a meagre combined total of 2.18 xG despite twice going to extra-time. Their three goals have come from only five shots on target in 240 minutes of action plus stoppage time.
England have only won one of their five games in 90 minutes and even that, the 1-0 victory over Serbia in their opening group fixture, felt like a struggle after a promising start. Most fans would agree it has felt like a struggle watching the subsequent games too.
At times, Southgate has seemingly floundered.
Captain Harry Kane praised Bukayo Saka’s mentality after he converted his penalty
His Alexander-Arnold midfield experiment was abandoned after two games. The chosen replacement, Conor Gallagher, only lasted 45 minutes of the goalless draw against Slovenia.
Some of his consistent calls, such as his continued use of Kieran Trippier on the left and his persistence with an out-of-sorts Kane up front, have invited even more scrutiny.
Ultimately, though, for Southgate, and regardless of what happens next, England’s presence in the last four represents a continuation of a fine record at World Cups and European Championships.
England have never previously reached the quarter-finals of four consecutive major tournaments, as they have under Southgate. This is the third time he has led them to a semi-final. There is frustration that silverware is yet to arrive but his achievements already outstrip those of his more illustrious predecessors.
Image: England players celebrate their penalty shootout victory
His in-game decision-making remains an area of concern and it will be more sternly tested by a stronger opponent in the Netherlands. But England’s coolly-dispatched penalties underlined the quality of their preparation and the manner in which their mentality has been overhauled. Another late comeback showed their spirit.
Southgate has issues to address and questions to answer but he is responsible for that preparation. He has fostered that spirit.
This England side are far from perfect. The truth is they have progressed to the last four in spite of their performances rather than because of them. But they are there, with a chance of going further. Southgate will make it to 101 games as a minimum.
Gareth Southgate hailed England’s character after what he described as their best performance of Euro 2024 in the quarter-final penalty shootout win against Switzerland.
Bukayo Saka cancelled out Breel Embolo’s opener to take the game to extra-time and onto penalties where Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Saka, Ivan Toney and Trent Alexander-Arnold all scored and Jordan Pickford saved Manuel Akanji’s opening effort for the Swiss as England reached the semi-finals.
It was a dramatic end to an edgy encounter and England’s first shoot-out win since beating the Swiss in the Nations League third-placed play-off five years ago in Portugal.
“I just thought the players were brilliant. It’s the best we have played,” Southgate told the BBC after the win.
Image: Jordan Pickford saves Manuel Akanji’s penalty
“I thought we caused them a lot of problems. They are a really good side. They are hard to press, they are hard to defend against, their movement is good.
“To come from behind again and show the character and resilience we did, talking to the players about that, winning tournaments isn’t just about playing well. It’s not just about that. You’ve got to show other attributes to win and we showed them all tonight.
Image: England players celebrate after defeating Switzerland on penalties to advance to the semi-finals of Euro 2024
“We played well today and we had to be tactically spot on. I don’t know what people think of us but we are in a third semi-final, so that says a lot about the group.
“We knew we needed to get pressure on their back three and that’s not easy without changing the shape. I thought the players were disciplined with it.
“I thought Phil was a real problem for them to pick up, Kobbie and Jude were finding those gaps on the side of their block. I thought we had good control. For some of the balls into the box, we probably needed more men in the box, but l thought it was the best that we have played.”
Southgate: No doubting Saka would take a pen
Saka missed the decisive penalty in the final of the last Euros against Italy at Wembley Stadium in 2021 as England fell just short in this competition last time around.
On Saka stepping up to take a penalty in the shootout and scoring this time, Southgate said: “So brave. He is one of our best, so we were never in any question that he was going to take one. But we all know what he went through.
Image: Bukayo Saka after scoring England’s equaliser against Switzerland
“To deliver as he did…. But not just him, Trent and Ivan, to come on and take them as they did; Cole, he’s like an old man in the way he is fearless. So a huge result for us, a huge performance, and we’re still in it.
“We played well today and we had to be tactically spot on. I don’t know what people think of us but we are in a third semi-final, so that says a lot about the group.”
Analysis: Saka shows his mettle and quality
Image: Bukayo Saka scores England’s equaliser against Switzerland
England would not be celebrating a place in the last four without Bukayo Saka. The Arsenal forward, England’s most dangerous player throughout the contest, scored a stunning equaliser during a player-of-the-match performance in Dusseldorf.
Even more impressive, though, was his willingness to then step up and take one of England’s penalties in the shootout, only three years after the miss that proved so costly in the final of Euro 2020. Not only that, he converted it too, demonstrating his quality and mettle to help England get over the line.
As sure as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, Cristiano Ronaldo’s name appeared on Portugal’s team-sheet on Friday night. Perhaps for the last time. But there was no romanticism about his selection, Roberto Martinez wanted him there.
Only goalkeeper Diogo Costa played more minutes for Portugal this summer, as their tournament ceased with a 5-3 penalty shoot-out defeat to France. It felt like an abrupt end for one of the world’s greatest footballing talents, who shed more tears at these championships than he did much else.
This time, though, the tears were not Ronaldo’s. Instead, the Portugal captain’s role was to console a weeping Pepe as another painful quarter-final exit came into full focus.
Image: Cristiano Ronaldo consoled Pepe after Portugal’s penalty shoot-out loss to France
Portugal generated an xG of 9.41 over the five games they played, but only scored three times (five if you include own goals scored by Czech Republic’s Robin Hranac and Turkey’s Samet Akaydin). Ronaldo’s personal tally amounted to zero.
Why, then, was the 39-year-old chosen to lead the line against France over the abundance of talent stationed on Portugal’s exceptionally-gifted bench? Neither Diogo Jota nor Goncalo Ramos even made it onto the pitch, despite the game going the full distance – Martinez persisted with his labouring frontman for the entire 120 minutes. Bruno Fernandes was replaced with 15 minutes to go, but not Ronaldo.
Image: Ronaldo was comforted by team-mates after seeing an extra-time penalty saved against Slovakia
What is more alarming still, is that Portugal did not score at all during their final three fixtures. A 2-0 defeat to Georgia (with a severely-weakened side, that still included Ronaldo), was followed up by goalless stalemates against Slovenia and then fatefully France. Surely Martinez was feeling the heat? Or perhaps the Portuguese following, and press, are also afraid of what a Ronaldo backlash would do to the perceived stability of a side so often saved by their famed No 7.
Because, let’s face it, Ronaldo’s selection was not made on merit, it was dictated by the rigours of reputation. Martinez was scared to leave him out. Ronaldo’s unwavering self-belief in the face of mounting evidence to the contrary permeated all within the Portugal camp – there was little argument to be made. Certainly not one deemed valid enough to stand the great man down.
And so Jota, Ramos and co watched on as Ronaldo enjoyed six fewer touches of the ball than goalkeeper Costa – and less than any other Portuguese player. They agonised as Portugal created, backed up by superior xG data (1.84 to France’s 1.14), the more presentable chances of the two sides without finding the net. And finally, they despaired as France’s Theo Hernandez struck the decisive penalty.
Image: Having dumped Portugal out, France will play Spain in the semi-finals of Euro 2024
Neither Jota, Ramos nor indeed any other forward-minded substitute – reserve some sympathy for Pedro Neto too – was afforded the chance to impact the game. And thus the fascination with Ronaldo – who did convert his spot-kick during the shoot-out – is again called into question. It remains a symptom of a wider stubbornness on both his and Portugal’s behalf. Neither he nor his country can move on from his glory days.
Ronaldo has represented Portugal at six European Championships and four World Cups. He holds the all-time record for most international goals with 130, and is his nation’s most-capped player (212). His overall total of 14 goals is the most ever at Euros finals – for context, France great Michel Platini is second with nine.
And maybe those facts provide as compelling a rationale as any as to why the Portugal manager stood by his talisman until the very last. But this, Ronaldo’s final Euros hurrah, has ended without an in-game goal, and surely, an unavoidable realisation that it is time to move on to the next generation.
Here’s a quiz question: What do the 2022 World Cup final, the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations final, the 2020 European Championship final and the 2016 Copa America final have in common?
Answer: They were all settled by a penalty shoot-out.
“There are so many things you can do to prepare your team for penalties, to train them for penalties, to help your players and team cope with the pressure of penalties,” says Geir Jordet, professor at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences and author of the recently-published book, “Pressure: Lessons from the Psychology of the Penalty Shoot-out.”
England have had so many penalty heartaches down the years – not least in the last Euro final when they lost 3-2 to Italy on penalties – with their 2-7 overall record the worst in the history of the tournament, while if you also include the World Cup, the Three Lions’ numbers are even worse, with two wins from nine.
“You can do this as an individual, as a team, as a manager,” he adds.
Just this year, France coach Didier Deschamps railed against an attempt by the French Football Federation to come up with an initiative to improve the team’s performance in shoot-outs. France lost in them in the last 16 at Euro 2020 and in the 2022 World Cup final against Argentina.
“I’m convinced – and my past as a player gives me this information – that it’s impossible to recreate a situation, on a psychological level, between training and a match,” Deschamps said.
Image: Will Chelsea’s Cole Palmer take a penalty for England if their Euro 2024 quarter-final with Switzerland goes to a shoot-out?
Jordet acknowledged that, but said it is “absurd” to not try to simulate these pressure situations in training.
“There are studies showing that training with mild anxiety will prepare you and help you perform better under conditions of high anxiety,” he said, before looking at other professions and areas of work.
“If you look at military training – in peacetime, which is what we’re used to, should they train for war activities and the pressure and stress of being in a conflict, or should they just sit back and say we cannot simulate the pressure and the stress of being in an active firefight? That’s absurd. It’s the same case with pilots or if you look at surgeons or ER doctors.”
Image: Argentina’s Gonzalo Montiel scores the winning penalty in the 2022 World Cup final against France
Jordet has looked specifically at penalty shoot-outs at the last World Cup and how coaches managed the two minutes they had with their players between extra-time finishing and the shoot-out starting. He noted the winning teams “without exception” were those whose coaches took the shortest time giving their instructions.
In the final, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni’s nomination process took 15 seconds, Jordet said, because his team was prepared.
He added: “Deschamps spent almost 20 seconds considering who should take the shot for each of his penalty takers, looking around, showing basically how little clarity he had about what to do. It was probably something his players would pick up on as well.”
EUROS HISTORY
There have been 22 shoot-outs at the Euros, including four in 1996 and 2020. Of the 232 shots taken in the shoot-outs, 178 were successful – a 76.7 per cent success rate. That fits the data models which typically say the expected success of a penalty is 0.76 per cent (that is, 76 out of 100 penalties would typically be scored).
GO FIRST OR SECOND?
So much for the widely-held perception that the team going second in a shoot-out is at a disadvantage for being under extra pressure. The latest major study of penalties, covering men’s competitions in European football over the last 11 years, showed the winning percentage of the team shooting first in penalty kicks was 48.83 per cent. Jordet said the advantage has “progressively and dramatically shrunk” compared to older research, some of which said there was around a 60 per cent chance of the team going first winning.
TEAM ORDERS
Image: France’s Kylian Mbappe was successful from the spot in his side’s loss to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final
That same study showed the first kick is scored in shoot-outs more often than any other (nearly 84 per cent) and is typically delivered by the most reliable penalty taker. Messi and Kylian Mbappe took the first two kicks in the World Cup final shoot-out, for example.
The likelihood of success by a team’s second taker dips to as low as around 72 per cent, the study says, while the fifth kicker of the team shooting second has not gotten to take a penalty in 43.26 per cent of shoot-outs. Placing your best taker at No 5 in the list is dangerous, then – just ask Cristiano Ronaldo, who never got to take a penalty when Portugal lost a shoot-out to Spain in the Euro 2012 semi-finals, and Mohamed Salah, who was left stranded as his Egypt team lost the Africa Cup of Nations final in 2021.
TACTICS
Watch out for gamesmanship around shoot-outs or regular penalties. Opponents have been seen attempting to scuff the turf around the spot in the hope of causing the taker to slip. That has led on some occasions to players from the team awarded the penalty gathering around the spot to protect the turf. Another recent phenomenon is one player holding on to the ball near the spot when a penalty has been awarded and then passing it, at the last minute, to the team-mate taking the kick.
Image: Tim Krul was the Netherlands’ hero in their shoot-out win against Costa Rica in the 2014 World Cup
“It’s about making the individual act of shooting a penalty into a collective team performance,” Jordet said. There also have been numerous examples of back-up goalkeepers or outfield players being brought on as a substitute late in extra-time because they have a better record in penalties than the regular starter. See Netherlands goalkeeper Tim Krul at the 2014 World Cup and Australia goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.
NEW TECHNIQUE
Image: England captain Harry Kane has a new penalty-taking technique
There is a new dominant penalty technique – and it is not for the faint-hearted. It involves the taker approaching the ball and waiting for the goalkeeper to make the first move. What invariably becomes a stutter-step routine has been called the “goalkeeper-dependent technique” by experts like Jordet. “It’s very sophisticated and hard to perform when the pressure’s truly on,” he said. “If you’re competent at executing this technique, this will effectively delete the risk factor of the goalkeeper going in the right direction and your odds suddenly going down.”
Poland captain Robert Lewandowski has been using it since 2016 – and used it against France in the group stage at Euro 2024 – and Harry Kane is a recent adopter.
PROVEN PEDIGREE
Image: England’s Jadon Sancho missed from the spot in the Euro 2021 final loss to Italy at Wembley
History suggests Germany might be the best penalty-taking team in Europe, having won all six of their shoot-outs since losing the European Championship’s first to Czechoslovakia in the 1976 final. Conversely, there is England, who have had so many penalty heartaches down the years – not least in the last Euro final when they lost 3-2 to Italy on penalties – with their 2-7 overall record the worst in the history of the tournament, while if you also include the World Cup, the Three Lions’ numbers are even worse, with two wins from nine. Meanwhile, the Netherlands (2-6) have not fared much better.
Speaking of England, Gareth Southgate’s side take on Switzerland in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 on Saturday afternoon in what looks on paper to be an evenly-contested clash that could very well go all the way to penalties in Dusseldorf.
If that is the case, then as mentioned previously, England have the worst penalty shoot-out record of any side still left in the tournament, which does not bode well for their chances of winning the Euros.
However, if the last-eight tie is decided by the dreaded spot-kicks at the ESPRIT Arena on Saturday, then let’s hope Southgate has heeded the above advice and prepared his players in advance.
And if, as is likely, the England manager has been practising in training this week, then it would also be a surprise were he and his coaching team not to know the statistics around who are the Three Lions’ most successful penalty takers.
If not, then a new study has revealed Cole Palmerhas the best penalty record of any player in the England squad. Sports analytics platform Tips.gg examined the penalty records of the 13 England players at Euro 2024 who have taken a career penalty, excluding shoot-outs. The players were then ranked based on the highest to lowest conversion rates.
Image: Cole Palmer scores from the spot in England’s recent friendly win against Bosnia
Palmer has the best penalty record of any player in the squad. The 2023/24 Young Player of the Season enjoyed an impressive debut season at Chelsea, scoring nine goals from the spot. Palmer, who has a perfect conversion rate of 100 per cent from 14 penalties, last scored a penalty during England’s pre-tournament 3-0 friendly win against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Rank
Player
Penalties Scored
Penalties Missed
Conversion Rate
1
Cole Palmer
14
0
100.00%
2
Conor Gallagher
5
0
100.00%
3
Trent Alexander-Arnold
4
0
100.00%
4
Jude Bellingham
3
0
100.00%
5
Ivan Toney
30
2
93.75%
6
Eberechi Eze
7
1
87.50%
7
Harry Kane
74
11
87.06%
8
Bukayo Saka
12
2
85.71%
8
Anthony Gordon
6
2
75.00%
10
Jarrod Bowen
6
3
66.67%
11
Ollie Watkins
4
5
44.44%
12
Declan Rice
1
2
33.33%
13
Kieran Tripper
0
2
0.00%
Meanwhile, Conor Gallagher has also been faultless from the spot so far in his career, converting each of his five penalties. Despite a 100 per cent success rate, his last match penalty came in the U18 Premier League back in January 2018.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jude Bellingham also boast a 100 per cent penalty conversion rate, scoring four and three penalties respectively. Like Gallagher, Alexander-Arnold’spenalty success has come in games at youth level, where he was prolific from the spot for England in the Euro U19 qualifiers back in 2016/17. Bellingham’s most recent penalty success came when scoring in Real Madrid’s 3-2 win againstAlmeriain January.
Ivan Toney rounds off the five England players with the best penalty conversion rate. The Brentford striker has been successful from the spot on 30 out of 32 occasions, with a conversion rate of 93.75 per cent. His last success was back in March in England’s 2-2 draw with Belgium.
Image: Ivan Toney has an excellent penalty record with Brentford and England
Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze has a success rate of 87.50 per cent from eight penalties, while England captain and penalty-taker Kane – with his new aforementioned stuttering technique – has converted 87.06 per cent of his 85 spot-kicks.
And finally, Kieran Trippier has the worst penalty record of any player in the England squad. The Newcastle defender is yet to score from the spot after missing each of his two attempts at former clubs Tottenham and Atletico Madrid.
Gareth Southgate is preparing to rip up the plans he has used so far at Euro 2024 and radically change England’s formation in an attempt to get more width from his side and put more of his best players in their best positions.
For Saturday’s quarter-final with Switzerland, England are likely to switch to three centre-backs for the first time in a competitive match since the Euro 2020 final against Italy three years ago – and it may mean Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden both playing as No 10s.
That is one of the options that Southgate has been experimenting with in training where, Sky Sports News has been told, he has tried various formations and various players slotted into the different roles.
It is clear the England boss is still undecided about who will occupy central midfield alongside Declan Rice – a key decision if England are not to be overrun in that department against Switzerland in Saturday’s quarter-final.
The planned change of formation seems driven by two factors: the suspension of Marc Guehi, who has been England’s most consistent defender in the tournament so far, and the fact that privately, Southgate has accepted that what he has tried so far in Germany has seen his players perform at way below their best.
Kieran Trippier‘s availability, after concerns about his minor calf problem and the heavy knock to his knee that he picked up against Slovakia, could yet mean Southgate has a change of heart, and returns to a flat back four. But that is not currently an option in training, Sky Sports News understands.
The three centre-backs look set to be John Stones, Ezri Konsa and Kyle Walker – with Walker’s pace seen as the ideal foil to sweep around the back, if Switzerland break through the England defence.
Image: Ezri Konsa (left) looks set to replace the suspended Marc Guehi (right) in the England defence
But Southgate has yet to decide who will play as wing-backs, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Bukayo Saka, Trippier – and even Eberechi Eze – possibilities to play in those roles. Luke Shaw‘s inclusion has also not been ruled out.
How will England’s attack look?
If, as expected, Southgate does switch to three centre-backs, it is not clear whether England’s formation will be 3-4-3, 3-5-2 or even 3-4-2-1 – with Bellingham and Foden in the creative roles behind Harry Kane. It is thought Southgate has tried all of those formations in training in Blankenhain in the build-up to the game.
How best to accommodate Bellingham is becoming a key conundrum. In many ways, he is England’s best player, but also Southgate’s biggest problem.
Jude Bellingham scored a glorious overhead kick in the 95th minute to take England’s game against Slovakia into extra time and spark scenes of celebration across the country.
Southgate could ask him to play deeper than he has done all season for Real Madrid – as a ‘No 8’ rather than a No 10 – but there are concerns that having not played in the role for so long, he may not have the positional discipline to make it effective defensively.
There is also a risk that if you give both Bellingham and Foden a free role, they may take up each others’ space and make the same runs – which has been a problem already in this tournament when Foden has drifted in from the left wing.
The other option under consideration, according to sources, is to play either Kobbie Mainoo or Conor Gallagher in a ‘number 6’ role alongside Declan Rice. This would provide the two defensive midfield buffers that have been a common theme of Southgate’s time as England manager, but it will limit the number of offensively-minded players on the pitch.
The other option, which would line up in a 3-5-2 formation, would include Ivan Toney alongside Kane up front.
Ivan Toney responded to Gareth Southgate’s comments that he was in a bad mood with the England manager when bringing him on vs Slovakia
Toney impressed Southgate with his performance in extra time in Gelsenkirchen – setting up Kane for the eventual winner. He also held the ball up well and gave England an outlet when they were under pressure in defence – something that has been lacking somewhat, with the England captain dropping deeper in many of the games so far in order to try to influence the play.
Either way, it seems inevitable that the large stall of wingers in Southgate’s squad will be redundant against Switzerland – each of the systems the England coach is considering has width provided by the wing-backs, rather than by more advanced wide-men.
That means Anthony Gordon and Jarrod Bowen are likely to find it difficult to get any game-time in the quarter-final, with Cole Palmer an option at number 10, most likely off the bench.
Depending on how the game progresses, however, Southgate has the personnel to switch to a back four, or any of his other formation options, and utilise the players on the bench. The England boss has made bold substitutions in the games so far, switching players at half-time or early in the second half.
Who will start at wing-backs?
When it comes to the wing-backs, Southgate has plenty of options, but none that have played in that role recently for their clubs. Saka is the biggest conundrum – having told the media in the lead-up to the last-16 game that he didn’t want to switch to full-back.
Before England’s last 16 game with Slovakia, Bukayo Saka gave his say on whether he thinks he should start at left-back for England.
Nevertheless, he did that for a short period in the chaos of extra-time against Slovakia, and he may well be asked to do so again on Saturday. He will most probably be asked to switch wings, from right wing to left wing-back.
Southgate hasn’t yet ruled out the possibility of Shaw starting at left wing-back, I am told – even though that would be a huge risk, with the Manchester United defender having played no competitive football for almost five months.
It is thought Shaw is desperate to play, and feels he is fit and ready to do so, after having no reaction from a clear week of training. Southgate has yet to decide whether his inclusion from the start for the quarter-final is a risk worth taking. He also needs to decide whether he is prepared to sacrifice Saka in the process.
On the right, it is a straight choice between Alexander-Arnold and Trippier, both of whom could be asked to perform the more natural role they play for Liverpool and Newcastle respectively.
England had a closed training session on Thursday, away from the cameras, but it is thought Southgate was preparing to fine-tune some of his new positional plans in that time.
The England manager usually tells his players his final starting XI on the night before a game, and so there is still much to be decided.
But it is clear – after much clamour for change from pundits and fans outside the camp – Southgate is now planning a radical re-shuffle, as his team heads into a major quarter-final.
England’s potential route to the Euro 2024 final
England will play Switzerland in the quarter-finals on Saturday in Dusseldorf in a 5pm kick-off, UK time.
Were England to beat Switzerland and reach the last four, then they would then play in a semi-final in Dortmund on Wednesday July 10; kick off 8pm UK time.
Netherlands and Turkey are the possible semi-final opponents for the Three Lions. The final is in Berlin on Sunday July 14; kick-off 8pm UK time.
Supercomputer’s favourites face hosts in heavyweight quarter-final
Spain have become the supercomputer’s favourites to win Euro 2024 but they face their biggest test so far on Friday as they take on hosts Germany in a mouth-watering quarter-final.
There is no doubt Spain have been the most convincing team at the tournament. Luis de la Fuente’s side have a 100 per cent record with Robin Le Normand’s own goal in the 4-1 last-16 win over Georgia the only goal they have conceded so far.
Such is Spain’s fluidity that they had 35 shots against Georgia – the most in a match at either the World Cup (since 1966) or Euros (since 1980).
La Roja have been an exciting watch and are everything England should be with their attacking talent clicking. But their opponents on Friday night in Stuttgart possess the weapons to hurt them and a midfield to rival them.
Germany have not quite hit the heights of Spain but Julian Nagelsmann’s side have shown glimpses of their electrifying quality with Jamal Musiala at the heart of it.
Stuttgart set for Euros classic?
The tournament’s two highest-scoring teams meet in Stuttgart, with Germany on 10 goals to Spain’s eight.
Spain’s 82 shots also lead the way while Germany’s Jamal Musiala is level with the Netherlands’ Cody Gakpo – and eliminated pair Ivan Schranz and Georges Mikautadze – atop the Golden Boot standings.
This is surprisingly Die Mannschaft’s first quarter-final at a major competition for eight years, but expectations will be high as the host nation.
And that home advantage could well give Germany the edge in what has been a tight affair in recent years between these two sides, with their last five meetings producing one win for each team and three draws.
It does feel like that whoever wins this heavyweight last-eight clash could well go on to win the whole thing. Declan Olley
Will Kroos delay retirement?
Image: Toni Kroos lifted the World Cup with Germany in 2014 and has won the Champions League six times
A 34-year-old Toni Kroos has rolled back the years in the Germany engine room this summer, but now he meets his toughest opponent with retirement on the line.
Kroos has made the most successful passes (386) with a 95 per cent completion rate and has created the second-most chances at the tournament. He has been untouchable.
Robert Andrich plays the enforcer role alongside him with 11 tackles and eight fouls placing him among Euro 2024’s toughest midfielders, while the silky Ilkay Gundogan brings guile and composure in between the lines.
Image: Kroos and Robert Andrich form the base of Germany’s midfield
The Germany midfield is balanced nicely, although, with a combined age of 96, the younger Spain trio can stretch their creaking legs.
Rodri anchors the midfield like he does at Manchester City with Pedri and Fabian Ruiz playing ahead of him, feeding the wingers and breaking into the box.
Image: Fabian Ruiz has shone in the Spain midfield
Ruiz has been particularly impressive, scoring and assisting in two of his three games and having eight shots – the most of any midfielder. He does his fair share of dirty work too, winning possession the second-most at the tournament (29).
There would be no shame in Kroos’ illustrious career ending against this opposition. He is playing well enough to stop it from happening though. David Richardson
Yamal and Williams give Spain wings
Image: Nico Williams has been among Euro 2024’s standouts
Spain have been enjoying the calm before the storm.
With three tournament wins each, they and Germany are the most successful nations in European Championship history, but the prospect of Friday’s showdown was put on the backburner this week as De la Fuente took his squad out to the tranquil setting of the Black Forest.
Image: Williams became the first player at the European Championship to score a goal, assist another and complete 100 per cent of his passes (46/46) in a game he started
Blocking out a growing cacophony surrounding the exploits of their enterprising young wingers will prove difficult, however.
The 4-1 victory over Georgia was the first time since Italy were hammered 4-0 in the Euro 2012 final that Spain have won a knockout-stage game in normal time at a major tournament, but the reason they have now been installed as favourites of this edition is down in large part to two young men.
Image: Lamine Yamal has provided two assists already – the first teenager to assist multiple goals at an edition of the European Championship since Cristiano Ronaldo at Euro 2004
How Spain became more vertical under De la Fuente
Spain, for so long the benchmark for possession and passing football, rank only fourth in those categories among the quarter-finalists this time around to emphasise the evolution in their style.
Luis de la Fuente’s side have completed 2,281 of 2,578 passes but those numbers trail Portugal (2,558 of 2,953), England (2,470 of 2,837) and Germany (2,451 of 2,745) – with the caveat that Portugal and England both needed extra-time in the last 16.
Lamine Yamal was heavily tipped to shine over the course of the month but Nico Williams’ star has reached new heights. His performances have already reportedly attracted interest from Chelsea, although Spanish publication SPORT claims the Athletic Bilbao winger would prefer a move to Barcelona.
“They are playing at a very high level,” Mikel Oyarzabal said of the pair. “They’re making a difference for us and that’s positive for the team. They’re different, it’s getting more and more difficult to find players like them. They’re young, they’re fearless, they’re going to do what they have to no matter the rival.”
Germany have Musiala – the joint-top scorer on three goals – and Florian Wirtz to call on, so this is also the clash of the wonderkids. Spain will look to their two precocious wide talents to deliver another display full of skill and swagger. Ben Grounds
France and Portugal need their shooting boots on
The best forwards in the world on either side, France vs Portugal has all the makings of being a classic fixture. Or does it?
Incredibly, a France player is still yet to score from open play in this tournament so far. Les Bleus’ top scorer at this Euros is ‘Own Goal’ with two.
Can Ronaldo finally get off the mark?
France are yet to score from open play, with two own-goals and a penalty seeing them this far, while Cristiano Ronaldo’s 20 efforts on goal for Portugal are more than any other player in the tournament but he has failed to find the net.
That includes an extra-time penalty saved by Slovenia’s Jan Oblak on Monday night, though Ronaldo did score in the shoot-out that followed – in which Diogo Costa saved all three Slovenia attempts, a European Championship record.
Portugal, meanwhile, are not much better. They come into this game having failed to score in the last two and have statistically the most wasteful player in the tournament so far in their talisman and captain.
Cristiano Ronaldo has produced the most shots in the tournament so far with 20, but is still yet to score. His negative xG differential of -2.75 is the worst record in the competition too. Second in the list is France’s Antoine Griezmann, who is also without a goal despite producing 1.92 of xG.
With Kylian Mbappe also showing signs of wastefulness, both teams could do with getting their shooting boots on – as the games are getting bigger and the margins are getting smaller. Sam Blitz
Saliba key for France after winning over Deschamps
Image: William Saliba was a surprise inclusion in the France XI for Euro 2024 but his performances have not disappointed
France’s goal stats are not the sort you would associate with potential champions, but at the other end of the pitch, their extremely robust defence – which has conceded just one goal, a penalty from Robert Lewandowski – gives them every chance.
At the heart of that defence is a player that many did not even expect to start at this tournament.
Didier Deschamps was expected to start Dayot Upamecano alongside Ibrahima Konte at the heart of the France defence, but William Saliba finally got his chance, won over Deschamps and is starring for Les Blues, who are yet to concede from open play at the tournament.
This will not be a surprise for Arsenal supporters and watchers of the Premier League. Saliba has been a vital cog in Mikel Arteta’s side over the past two season. His injury towards the end of the 2022/23 campaign was pushed by many as a reason for the Gunners’ failure to get over the line and win the Premier League title.
Image: Saliba shackled Romelu Lukaku brilliantly in the last 16
William Saliba’s first half by numbers vs Belgium…
100% pass accuracy (33/33)
2 x possession won
2 clearances
1 interception
0 possession lost
0 fouls
He has now transferred his club form to the national stage and his performance up against Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku in the last 16 was Saliba at his dominating best. He showed every one of the qualities he possesses up against the physical Lukaku.
He won everything in the air, showed he was up for the physical battle, read the game superbly and on the ball, his passing was superb. Lukaku, a thorn in the side of so many over the years, never had a sniff.
A new challenge now awaits Saliba with Ronaldo next up to battle the 23-year-old, but it would be no shock to see France’s surprise package shackle Portugal’s talisman and lead France into the last four. Oliver Yew
Real’s new Galactico takes on their greatest ever in battle of the misfiring forwards
Frustration in front of goal has been the main theme of France and Portugal’s Euro 2024 as both sides gear up to face each other in Hamburg.
Image: Kylian Mbappe has found it hard to breathe while wearing his protective mask at Euro 2024
Those struggles in front of goal have best been summed up by the off-colour displays of the two country’s captains, Mbappe and Ronaldo, giants of the game who have scored just once between them so far in the tournament and even that was a penalty from the France forward.
Mbappe, who joins Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain this summer, six years after Ronaldo departed the Santiago Bernabeu, has scored 48 goals in 82 appearances for Les Bleus and a mind-boggling 256 times in just 308 appearances before leaving the French capital.
After breaking his nose in France’s opening group-stage win over Austria, though, Mbappe has since been required to wear a protective mask over his face, something his manager Didier Deschamps says he is still “getting used to”.
And if France are to get their hands back on the Henri Delaunay Trophy for the first time since 2000, you feel their masked man will need to start firing up front, starting against a Portugal team whose own main man has also been misfiring in attack in Germany this summer.
Image: A tearful Cristiano Ronaldo after Portugal’s penalty shootout win over Slovenia in the last 16
Ronaldo’s 20 efforts on goal for the 2016 champions are more than any other player in the tournament and the 39-year-old has failed to find the net as yet.
That includes an extra-time penalty saved by Slovenia’s Jan Oblak on Monday night, though a tearful Ronaldo did score in the shootout that followed.
Ronaldo has already confirmed to O Jogo this “is, without doubt, my last Euros” and having scored in every one of the other tournaments he has featured in, the forward will be desperate to continue that run against France in what could come down to a battle between one former Real great and a potential future Madrid star. Richard Morgan
England vs Switzerland – Saturday (Dusseldorf, 5pm)
Why England must be wary of dark horses Switzerland
Switzerland are without question the tournament’s dark horses. They have mustered just 46 attempts at goal, with Saturday’s opponents England the only team to register less shots than them at Euro 2024 (45).
Meanwhile, Switzerland’s passes (1,543 completed of 1,872) and completion percentage (82.4) are the lowest of the eight quarter-finalists and they are also the only remaining team with less than 50 per cent possession in their games so far (46.8).
But they are undefeated and have proved their credentials at this tournament, earning wins against Hungary and well-fancied Italy. Bologna striker Dan Ndoye could be one for England to watch, with the 23-year-old enhancing his burgeoning reputation with a goal against host nation Germany. Dev Trehan
Netherlands vs Turkey – Saturday (Berlin, 8pm)
Baby-faced assassin Guler epitomising Turkey’s unrelenting energy
Image: Arda Guler’s rise to prominence is as much a story of resilience and hard work as it is about natural ability
Having arrived at Fenerbahce aged just 13, Arda Guler was hailed as the ‘Turkish Messi’. At Euro 2024, he is making a name for himself.
The start to his Real Madrid career was blighted by a knee injury, but he returned stronger to become the youngest player to score on their European Championship debut with his goal-of-the-tournament contender in Turkey’s opening group game against Georgia – breaking a record held by Ronaldo.
Mert Gunok set for another busy night?
Turkey have faced comfortably the most shots on their goal of any quarter-finalist, 59 after Austria’s barrage of 21 on Tuesday.
There is a self-confidence and maturity to Guler behind his restless, indomitable will to win on the grandest stage. Through the heavy rain, the hostility and the hailstorm of beer cups, it was 19-year-old who conducted a masterpiece in how to embrace the pressure against Austria.
Head coach Vincenzo Montella said it took ‘soul’ to reach the last eight, and with their partisan supporters now descending on Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate will be painted red. The momentum is reminiscent of how Morocco reached the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar.
One of Turkey’s greatest strengths is an intangible, unrelenting energy from the stands, but their 18 yellow cards to date is only one shy of a tournament record. Montella will look to Guler to provide a calming influence.
With Xavi Simons playing so well centrally for the Netherlands against Romania, this quarter-final could again demonstrate how Germany ’24 has been the Championship owned by the next generation of playmakers before their time. Ben Grounds
Red-hot Gakpo carrying on where he left off for Liverpool
Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo heads into Saturday night’s quarter-final clash with Turkey in Berlin as the joint-leading goalscorer at Euro 2024, although that will not come as any surprise to Liverpool fans.
That is because Gakpo also finished last season in impressive form for Jurgen Klopp’s side and was one of the few standout players in the stuttering end to the Reds’ league campaign, contributing two goals and two assists in their last six Premier League games.
Image: Cody Gakpo celebrates his opener against Romania
The 25-year-old has continued where he left off for Liverpool, scoring three and assisting another in the Oranje’s passage through to the last eight, meaning he and Musiala, who also has three goals to his name, are the favourites to win the tournament’s Golden Boot.
As Gakpo continues to light up Euro 2024, take a look back at our picks of his best Liverpool goals in the Premier League
Gakpo has been a real threat so far at the Euros cutting in from his starting position on the left-hand side of the Netherlands’ front three, from where he has scored all his goals, including a 121km-per-hour strike that flew past Romania goalkeeper Florin Nita at his near post to open the scoring in Tuesday’s last-16 win in Munich.
Image: Gakpo’s first goal at the Euros came as he equalised against Austria
All of which means Gakpo has now joined former greats Johnny Rep (1974 and 1978 World Cups) and Dennis Bergkamp (Euro 1992 and World Cups in 1994 and 1998) as just the third Netherlands international to score three or more goals in two major tournaments after also netting three times at the 2022 World Cup.
In fact, across the past two international tournaments, the only European with more goals than Gakpo’s six in nine games is Mbappe, who has nine in 10 matches. Richard Morgan
Fifty-seven, missed. Fifty-eight, missed. Fifty-nine, missed. Sixty, missed. Maybe time to let someone else have a go Cristiano?
Far be it from any journalist to tell arguably Portugal’s best-ever player – scratch that, perhaps the world’s best – what to do.
But Cristiano Ronaldo’s unwavering self-belief in the face of mounting evidence to the contrary is the elephant in the stadium at this point.
Another four free-kick shots against Slovenia on Monday night, none scored. No question over who was taking each set-piece and, although his team-mates humoured the idea he might cross this one, there was no question where it was ending up.
But the 39-year-old’s eye-opening record of one goal out of 60 attempts from dead-balls is a sideshow. It dates back two decades. Eric Dier has a better track record at international tournaments, but you would still rather have Ronaldo up front.
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner deserves better than to be the figure of fun he is becoming, the ironic question of ‘who’s going to take this, then?’ every time a Portugal player is fouled within shooting distance of the opposition box, although impossibly wide angles are not out of the question either.
His extraordinary legacy is in no danger but, at what he has now admitted will be his final Euros, this is not how Portugal’s favourite son is meant to bow out.
The free-kick stats make for good memes, but his impact on Portugal’s hopes are a greater problem. Neither he nor his country can move on from his glory days, like a crooner returning for one encore too many.
Even in his 11th major tournament he remains the man Portugal build their side around, but, unlike most of the previous 10, there is little justification or reward.
He has scored in each of those other tournaments, driving his country on to reach four semi-finals and two finals across 20 years. In most he was either on the rise or at his world-leading pomp, far from the shadow of himself he is now.
The aged, limited Ronaldo has registered an xG at Euro 2024 more than three times that of anyone else in the Portugal squad. He would still be comfortably ahead if he had not missed a penalty in that last-16 win over Slovenia.
By the time that game had finished, he had racked up more shots across the tournament than Scotland. Even they managed to score twice, while he searches in vain to continue his clean sweep. He has had five more shots than any other player in Germany.
The tears streaming down his face after that penalty miss masked a pain deeper than a man dwelling on that squandered spot-kick. He has already blanked twice from the spot in previous tournaments.
Image: Ronaldo was left in tears after his missed penalty against Slovenia
It was the reaction of a man who somewhere, begrudgingly, is slowly coming to a realisation already obvious to the outside world that he cannot quite cut it any more.
There were jokes that he might still turn out as a 43-year-old at the next Euros, made with a hint of earnestness – he is the epitome of a man who does not know when he is done. But even he acknowledged his own mortality after Monday’s game by admitting for the first time this will be his swan-song.
“It is, without doubt, my last Euros,” he told O Jogo before offering an insight into his tears. “I don’t get emotional about that, I get emotional about everything that football involves.”
“I will always give my best for this shirt, whether I fail or not,” he later added.
That honesty, and those tears, have followed a tournament of growing despair to this point. All the way back to facing the Czech Republic in their opening game, when he missed a number of chances and saw his assist for a Diogo Jota goal ruled out for offside when he timed his run too early.
He is the only outfield player to have started all four matches, but by the time of facing Slovenia the frustration had got too much. The spring absent from his jump to meet two Bernardo Silva crosses he would have buried for most of his career. The terrible free-kicks. The penalty. The weak shot which should have won it late on but was easily saved.
The calls for Ronaldo to sit out Friday’s quarter-final with France will only get louder for it. Fernando Santos took him out for the World Cup last-16 game with Switzerland in 2022, and replacement Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 win.
But the PSG forward has played only 24 minutes in Germany so far, while Roberto Martinez shows no signs of following his predecessor in dropping the figurehead of his country.
“He’s a constant example for us,” Martinez said on Monday evening. “I thank him for being the way he is, for caring for the group, for being someone after missing a penalty that he was the first penalty-taker (in the shoot-out).
“I was certain he had to be the first penalty-taker and show us the way to the victory.”
Ronaldo’s confidence in picking himself up to take that first spot-kick in Portugal’s shoot-out win was admirable.
But if Portugal are to beat France in a rematch of their 2016 final triumph, with Martinez’s blessing Ronaldo will need a touch of his old trademark magic rather than what he has shown so far.
Gareth Southgate will make his century. It is an incredible achievement. But Southgate will reach the landmark on the back of a streaky forward-defensive that snicked the edge of his bat, and just evaded the wicketkeeper.
Southgate invited Ben Stokes to talk to the squad in their pre-tournament training camp in County Durham. Cricket is one of the England manager’s favourite sports. And the analogy is apt. Because – just as it is with many centuries scored in Test cricket – Southgate’s England innings has had elements of brilliance, and some moments of good fortune too.
The victory over Slovakia in Gelsenkirchen was certainly Southgate’s biggest stroke of luck in his almost eight years as manager.
England were dreadful for 95 minutes. They didn’t manage a shot on target in that entire time, after Southgate had stubbornly resisted any call to make significant changes to his starting XI, or to his game plan, for the fourth match in a row.
It was England’s worst performance of the tournament so far, and that is quite a statement. They are going backwards, when the aim was to peak for the business end of the competition.
Former Three Lions defender Gary Neville believes England have to step up and take risks if they are to overcome Switzerland in the quarter-finals as the Swiss have been impressive in the tournament so far
I have been saying since before the Euros started that Jude Bellingham is exhausted. It is so, so obvious in every game that he plays. He did nothing against Slovakia. Right up until he did “that”.
It was a moment of sheer brilliance that very few players in world football could manage at any stage in a game, let alone so deep into injury time when your nation is on the verge of exit and ignominy. It is the latest goal England have ever scored in a major tournament, before extra-time.
That moment of mesmeric magic didn’t just save Southgate’s blushes, it saved him from the darkest stain on his England legacy. Had England lost in Gelsenkirchen, it would have – without doubt – been the final act of Southgate’s custodianship. He would have been 99 and out. And his tenure would have come to an end with England unable to match any of their achievements in his previous three tournaments. World Cup semi-final, Euros final, World Cup quarter-final, remember. As it is, whatever happens next, Southgate will be able to walk away from this job knowing the minimum he ever managed with England was a quarter-final. That’s impressive.
It may explain why it seemed a much more breezy Gareth Southgate I saw in the Arena AufSchalke after the game. He was berated by some England fans as he left the pitch after the 0-0 draw with Slovenia, and attacked unforgivably with empty plastic beer cups as he walked down the tunnel. I know that hurt him. He says publicly that he has broad enough shoulders to take all that is thrown at him. “Target me, not the players,” has been his message to supporters. But the truth is that Southgate is a proud and sensitive man, one who strives to please, and someone who desperately wants to win a major trophy for the nation.
England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford says fans need to keep believing in Gareth Southgate’s side and admits they need the nation to get behind them
I saw him leave the Mixed Zone media area in the bowels of the stadium, and make his way to the team bus with a big smile on his face and a spring in his step. Joking with his media advisers. It was almost as if he knows the pressure has lifted a tiny bit with that win, and that England can only gain more support, the further they progress from here.
Without doubt, England and Southgate could seize that special, tournament-defining moment from Bellingham to galvanise the nation, and the squad, and push them on to new heights in this European Championships. How many times has there been one, singular incident for a team in a tournament when every football lover from the broad spectrum of footballing nations says: “Their name is on the trophy.” That might well be what many non-English fans are thinking right now. It’s certainly what the petrol station attendant told me at 2am as we stopped for fuel on our way back from Gelsenkirchen. “Lucky, lucky England!” he said. “You will win now!”
That Bellingham goal could be England’s moment. It will be remembered as one of the most iconic England goals of the last few decades. Because of its brilliance, because of its importance, and because of its timeliness. It ranks alongside David Platt’s volley against Belgium in Italia ’90. Gazza’s volley against Scotland and the dentist chair celebration in Euro ’96. Michael Owen’s brilliant solo effort against Argentina in the World Cup of 1998. It could be the one moment we all look back upon and say “that’s when it turned.”
Southgate must rip up his pre-tournament plans
But it can only be so if Southgate realises his plan has failed spectacularly for four matches. Only if he is prepared to jettison some stellar names who have repeatedly under-performed, and turn to the understudies. What is the point of understudies if not to replace the primary actors when they are under-performing? The main men have had four games, and none of those team performances has impressed. If England are to capitalise on Bellingham’s majesty, the England manager has to rip up his tournament philosophy and start again.
Southgate said in his post-match interviews that it is for moments like that you leave your game-changers on the pitch. He told the BBC: “With 15 minutes to go, you wonder if he is out on his feet. Him and Harry Kane produce those moments and that is why you don’t make changes when people are clamouring for more changes.”
In essence, he is correct. If Jude Bellingham wasn’t at this tournament, England would have been knocked out after three tame draws in the group stages (he got the winning goal against Serbia, in England’s only victory). If Southgate had substituted him before we got to injury time in Gelsenkirchen, England would have been going home now with their tails firmly between their legs.
But for me, Southgate’s reasoning misses the key point. If England weren’t relying so heavily on Bellingham, maybe they would have played much, much better as a team and been well ahead in the game, and so wouldn’t have needed the Real Madrid star’s spectacular act of salvation.
Gareth Southgate reflects on England’s shaky victory over Slovakia to proceed to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals and what he looks to do to maintain spirit and improve performances
Before the game, I’d called for Bellingham to be rested. Not dropped – rested. Because if you look at his statistics, and just study his body language and impact on games, it is so clear to everyone he is burned out. The game against Slovakia was his 106th in two seasons, and it was the day after his 21st birthday. He is exhausted. Rest him, bring him back in the even more important games to come, was my reasoning. That decision may yet be forced on Southgate for the quarter-final, depending on the outcome of the UEFA disciplinary proceedings that have been issued against England’s matchwinner.
Harry Kane, similarly, is still miles away from full match sharpness. The captain is a special case, and has scored two goals in two games, and so will – correctly – be given special dispensation to continue. But it was a stark reminder of what England have been missing in his game right now, when Ivan Toney came on for his major tournament bow. With Kane regularly trying to drop deep to influence the game, then often unable to get back into the box when crosses come in, Toney was a stark contrast. He acted like a traditional number 9 who leads the line. When England were under the cosh, he held the ball up, ran the channels, and won several free-kicks on halfway with his back to goal, as the England defence made desperate clearances.
Southgate told the media Toney wasn’t happy with him at all when it was suggested he come on in the 94th minute, with England 1-0 down. To be fair, it proved to be a crucial substitution because it was the Brentford striker who set up the Harry Kane winner, 50 seconds into extra-time. It is easy for the manager to justify sticking with the same players when they are playing and winning well. It is much more difficult for Southgate to explain to his substitutes why they are being overlooked when the “first team” is underperforming.
Southgate’s options
Image: Is it now too late for Luke Shaw to be used at the Euros?
So what changes should Southgate make? Kieran Trippier is a brilliant defender and a reliable and indefatigable character. He has played well out here, but the lack of a left-footed option anywhere on England’s left flank is so obviously crippling. Trippier hobbled off against Slovakia and so may not be fit to face Switzerland. He is still nursing a calf injury, remember. But Southgate must abandon any plans of playing Luke Shaw in this tournament. He isn’t fit. He shouldn’t have travelled to Germany. Southgate admitted it was a gamble, and it hasn’t paid off.
That’s not Southgate’s fault – he gave Shaw every chance to prove his fitness. His natural ability in the position, both going forward and defensively, would have been a big asset. But he hasn’t played a minute of football since mid-February, and he cannot be risked now, in a Euros quarter-final, almost five months later.
Nevertheless, England desperately need a left-footer on the left side of defence, and on the left side of their attack. I think they need a right-footed option on the right wing, too. Of England’s four wide options in the starting XI so far, only Kyle Walker is playing on the same flank as his favoured kicking foot. As a result, England are so narrow, and so easy to defend against. Denmark, Slovenia and Slovakia have all been able to prepare for an England side that never looks to go wide, run past them along the wing, get in behind their defence, stretch the full-backs. And so it will be for Switzerland, unless Southgate changes things.
There has been no element of surprise, no real threat. England have been predictable, and impotent. They have tried to beat the low block with intricate passes in the congested centre of the final third. They have scored three goals in four games, in normal time. Anthony Gordon, Cole Palmer, Jarrod Bowen – all wait patiently in the wings.
England rescued their tournament after they abandoned any game plan, and threw the kitchen sink at Slovakia. When it worked, they then had a major problem because they had to face an extra 30 minutes with the most lop-sided, shapeless England XI I have ever seen. They had four wingers on the pitch, with Ebere Eze playing left-back, and two strikers up top.
Image: Marc Guehi is suspended for the quarter-final with Switzerland
The manager and players deserve huge credit for seeing the game out, after Kane gave them the lead, in the midst of the chaos. Conor Gallagher – still licking his wounds after being dispensed with at half-time in his first start at a major tournament (against Slovenia) – was called upon to stiffen the midfield. He did that. And every player ran for their lives in extra-time, as the stunned Slovakia team threw everything at them.
The defence has been a shining success in the four games so far. The fact that Marc Guehi – England’s most consistent player throughout – is suspended for Switzerland, is a real worry. He has been the epitome of calm and class that England have needed. Ezri Konsa is likely to deputise on Saturday, and he is a very decent replacement.
England’s reasons for hope…
But England’s problems elsewhere pre-date this tournament. England have won just two of their last nine matches in normal time. Two wins in nine. That is dreadful form, and certainly doesn’t suggest they are trophy-contenders. It is the worst run of form under Southgate for 24 months.
If that isn’t evidence enough that Southgate’s game plan isn’t working, I don’t know what is. This is not a Southgate-bashing exercise. I think history will judge him very kindly. He is England’s most successful manager, after Sir Alf Ramsey. He has gone closer than any other England manager since 1966 to ending the traumatising trophy drought. He has made the atmosphere in camp so enjoyable, the very best players want to play for their country again. That has not always been the case. And he has made the English nation proud of the vibrant, diverse, and likeable team that represents them.
I feel Southgate may yet be able to give the nation what they want during this, his final tournament. But only if he makes significant changes.
The good news is England have time to come up with a new plan. It is six days after that draining experience in Gelsenkirchen before they face Switzerland in Düsseldorf. It will take the squad two days to recover. They will have the whole of Tuesday off, and have some time with their families. I’m told they are all – even those who didn’t get on the pitch – exhausted by the emotional trauma and then the elation of it all.
Image: England will have recovery time at the start of the week ahead of the quarter-final
They flew back from Gelsenkirchen to their base in Blankenhain, but didn’t get into their beds until after 1am. But we have already been informed that there will be no open training on view for the media on Tuesday. No media interviews that day either. It will be the only proper “dark day” for England in the tournament so far. Rest, lads. Recover. Prepare to go again.
Wednesday is the time for some honest words behind the scenes. That is the day to talk tactics, and find a new way of playing in time for Switzerland, and in time for England to rescue their Euros. It is not too late. If Southgate has finally accepted that it is time for Plan B. This Euros draw has opened up in such a way as to give England fans real hope of silverware. If only the team can play to its spectacular potential.
This is surely Southgate’s final innings. The question now is whether the England manager can tweak his technique whilst still at the crease, and carry his bat right through to a final hurrah in front of the packed stands in Berlin.
At the moment, it feels like he is swishing hopefully outside his off-stump. If he doesn’t change his style, his luck will surely run out when he finally faces a decent delivery from a more dangerous opponent.
Gary Neville believes England will be beaten by Switzerland in Saturday’s Euro 2024 quarter-final if Gareth Southgate’s side continue to play at their current level – with the Sky Sports pundit asking the Three Lions manager to “take more risks” in his selection.
England were 86 seconds away from a shock 1-0 elimination to Slovakia in the last 16 before Jude Bellingham’s sublime overhead kick forced extra-time, where Harry Kane scored the winning goal.
Next up for England is the challenge of Switzerland, who beat holders Italy in their last-16 clash on Saturday, and Neville believes Southgate’s side will not be so lucky this weekend if they do not improve.
“Four times this England team have played in this tournament where they’ve been below par,” he told Sky Sports News. “They will hope that this is the catalyst for what would be improved performance levels and a change of direction in performance.
Sky News reporter Rob Harris caught up with fans after England’s win over Slovakia – including one who left the game early and missed Jude Bellingham’s equaliser
“Winning is everything in tournaments, but performances matter because eventually there’s only so far you can go being the inferior team. Not playing as well and winning will eventually catch you out and I think it will catch England out on Saturday if they keep playing at the same level.
“Let’s be really clear. Three weeks ago, if you had handed this England squad, Gareth Southgate, the players, and us as fans, Switzerland in the quarter-finals, we would have bitten your hand off.
“But Switzerland are playing well, they’re a decent team. They are not to be disrespected and they won’t be by the players, but if we don’t raise the performance levels, we’re going out on Saturday.
“We were fortunate to get past Slovakia and rode our luck in the group where if Denmark scored one more goal, we would have played Germany. So we’ve rode our luck twice now, it could be written in the stars that we ride our luck all the way to the final, but my head is telling me we will hit a major obstacle if we carry on and we need to take risks to free ourselves up.
“We looked like England teams of the past where they looked frightened to death, like in the first half yesterday.”
Gary Neville admits that Jude Bellingham’s spectacular overhead kick against Slovakia saved England
Who would Neville start against Switzerland?
The “risks” Neville spoke about relate to Southgate’s team selection. In all four Euro 2024 matches so far, the England manager has picked the same 10 players, only rotating between Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Gallagher and Kobbie Mainoo for the central midfield spot.
Neville wants to see Alexander-Arnold start at right-back, with Kyle Walker moved over to left-back – plus see Cole Palmer and Anthony Gordon start in attack over Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden – but the former Manchester United and England defender believes widespread changes are unlikely.
Image: Cole Palmer impressed off the bench against Slovakia on Sunday
“We thought there would be more changes and greater interference, but Gareth’s not going to do that now,” Neville claimed. “I think it does need some type of change, but Gareth – in the first four games – has made as limited changes as he could possibly do.
“He will be forced into one with [Marc] Guehi being suspended but apart from that, he will go in with the players as he sees it and try and almost play them into form through consistency, and the fact they’re working together more and there’s resilience building in them.
“But it just feels like there is a different dynamic. You talk about imbalance, that imbalance will remain if we continue to pick the same players. There is a rebalance and reset needed, but I’m not sure we’re going to get it.”
Will Shaw be risked by England this weekend?
Image: Luke Shaw (middle) has not played any football since the middle of February
One risk Southgate could take is starting Luke Shaw at left-back. The defender has been out with a hamstring injury and has not played since the middle of February – but Shaw did make the bench for the slender win over Slovakia.
“He was available to be used off the bench yesterday, he could have five days of training to put into his legs and his body before Saturday,” Neville said.
“It’s a big risk. A fit Luke Shaw is a big asset, and the reason why maybe the left-hand side is not working as it should be is the same reason why it wasn’t working at Manchester United due to Diogo Dalot, Aaron Wan-Bissaka or Victor Lindelof playing there.
“Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho struggled because Shaw wasn’t there linking with them and supporting them. It’s really important and England haven’t had that and suffered with it. Phil Foden has suffered with it. Shaw can overlap and underlap, but we haven’t got it.
“Is it too big a risk playing Shaw on Saturday? My gut feeling is yes. But also my absolute unequivocal position is England need to take risks, to do something and change something. If Southgate feels he can get a performance out of Shaw on Saturday, he will put him in, but it’s a massive risk.”
Gary Neville claims there must be dramatic changes both to England’s system and personnel if they are to progress at Euro 2024 after a late, late show prevented a disastrous last-16 exit at the hands of Slovakia.
Jude Bellingham’s stoppage-time stunner saved Gareth Southgate’s England from an embarrassing loss as the Euro 2024 hopefuls fought back to win 2-1 after extra-time.
A summer that promised so much looked set to end in heartbreak and humiliation for a team that went within a penalty shoot-out of winning the last edition three years ago.
Image: Harry Kane put England in front in the first minute of extra-time
Ivan Schranz put wily, well-drilled Slovakia on course for their biggest win as an independent nation, only for Bellingham to leave jaws on the floor and disbelieving players on the deck in Gelsenkirchen.
The midfielder’s overhead kick five minutes into stoppage-time sent the match to extra-time, with captain Harry Kane’s header seeing Southgate’s side through this tricky last-16 clash.
Sam Allardyce says England have looked at “sixes and sevens” since the kick-off and need to recover from the “big big blow” of going a goal behind to Slovakia.
Speaking as a pundit on ITV, Neville said: “Sweet Caroline doesn’t sound very sweet. Relief is the word of the day. We’ve been very lucky and we should thank our lucky stars. We were woeful and we’ve been woeful now for four games.
“Not even in extra-time have we played particularly well. We drew Slovakia onto us and they were unlucky at the end.
Sam Allardyce says Gareth Southgate must take responsibility for England’s first half performance against Slovakia but the players are not showing their quality
“We’ve got to change something dramatically now. I’ve played with Gareth Southgate and I know him. He’s a great guy and he’s got massive integrity, but he will realise tonight that he was so close to the edge. Very close to the edge.
“Everyone in the country has been crying out for more change in every single match – from game one, two, three and I think the same clamour will happen again, for Palmer, Alexander-Arnold and for other players to come into the team to create more balance and excitement.
“Getting over the line and winning is all-important in tournaments, but if you think you can go through a month of a tournament playing like we are doing and get through it to the end, I think is unrealistic.”
Jude Bellingham scored a glorious overhead kick in the 95th minute to take England’s game against Slovakia into extra-time and spark scenes of celebration across the country
Switzerland await in the quarter-finals on Saturday and England will look to build on the spirit shown towards the end of a match that had looked set to end in a result akin to Iceland at Euro 2016.
Southgate has overseen vast improvements since taking over shortly after that tournament eight years ago, but the pressure and scrutiny will be as hot as ever after squeaking into the last eight and onto his 100th match at the helm.
Speaking alongside Neville on ITV, Roy Keane said: “It [the win] hasn’t really solved anything. You can talk about performances, but at this level it is about getting over the line and winning.
Sam Allardyce was full of praise for substitute Ivan Toney after his headed assist for Harry Kane’s goal which gave England a 2-1 lead over Slovakia
“Everyone wants a great performance, but if they keep getting results and going through… the next game will be tough but let’s see how they go.
“You have to give them praise as we were really critical at half-time but they found a way to win. The top players found a moment.
“God help us if Bellingham starts playing well. They had two huge moments and they got themselves over the line. Credit where it’s due.”
Bellingham: It’s a great feeling
Jude Bellingham reflects on England’s dramatic victory over Slovakia and his superb overhead kick that kept England in the competition
England midfielder Jude Bellingham speaking to UEFA:
“You’re 30 seconds away from going home, feeling like you’ve let your nation down, and one kick of the ball and everything’s great. It’s a feeling I don’t want to be in, but when it comes, it’s a great feeling.
“Playing for England is a great thing, but it’s a lot of pressure as well. Being on the pitch and scoring goals for me is a release, it’s a very happy moment.”
On his last-gasp equaliser: “It’s got to be up there. There’s a few nice ones, ones that mean a lot to me personally, but his one was so important, both for today and the mood change if it doesn’t happen. It’s right up there.
“It’s 20 or 30 seconds until we’re out of the European Championship and the mood now is a massive difference, and what it can do for the team going forward. It’s a massive moment, but it’s a long tournament and we’ll only know it if we go on to win the cup. We’ll decide in the next two weeks how important it is.”
