England face a formidable opponent in the UEFA Euro 2024 quarter-finals as they will have to beat one of the best-ever versions of Switzerland to progress to the semi-finals, where they will need to take on either the Netherlands or Türkiye.
England’s journey in the competition has been successful so far, with five points in the group stage, one win and two draws that allowed the team to top Group C.
England risked getting knocked out in the Round of 16 against Slovakia, as they were losing from the 25th minute and were then saved during the final minutes thanks to a crucial equalising goal from Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham before winning in extra-time thanks to Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane’s header.
This tactical analysis and scout report will discuss Gareth Southgate’s potential tactics for their quarter-final Switzerland game.
The analysis will explore the most suitable formations and line-up for England while pointing out what went wrong for the team previously and what can be improved in terms of player choices and all phases.
Defensive organisation and mistakes to avoid
It was reported during the week that Gareth Southgate is planning to opt for a back-three defensive line while the composition of the midfield and attack has not yet been decided.
Southgate has already tried the 3-4-3, 3-5-2, and 3-4-2-1 in training, and therefore, it is more likely that he will use one of these three formations in the game against Switzerland.
Using three different formations in training while preparing for a decisive game in just a few days is not really a positive sign, as it means that Southgate is uncertain about his ideas and is still searching for the most suitable formations.
This also means that he did not prepare a “plan A” and a “plan B” before the start of the tournament.
Otherwise, he could have avoided confusing the players by attempting three different training formations during a short and stressful period.
By “plan A” and “plan B,” we mean that Southgate could have prepared and trained his players in his favourite formation and also trained them in an alternative formation (with a back-three defensive line) to be able to use it in similar cases.
With 15 attempted shots against Italy, England should prepare themselves with more concentration and attention to detail, as Switzerland proved in this tournament in general and in that match in particular.
They are capable of hurting any defence thanks to their dynamic attacking players, constant midfield support, and ability to reach the opposing goal using multiple ideas and plans.
In order to stop and limit the danger of players like Vargas, Ndoye, and Embolo, it will be important to have wing-backs with clear defensive instructions that oblige them to mark wingers tightly while midfielders and two of the three centre-backs lean to the wings to help in closing intervals and in having numerical superiority on the ball holder.
Although the idea of playing with three centre-backs comes a bit late, it sounds like a suitable option, especially considering the squad’s situation.
With Luke Shaw’s long absence and uncertain match sharpness and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s poor defending when playing as a right-back, it would be better to secure the defence with three centre-backs accompanied by three midfielders and two wing-backs.
This would more likely be the best alternative to the current formation with John Stones, Ezri Konsa, and Joe Gomez as the three centre-backs since Marc Guéhi is suspended.
Opting for Joe Gomez over Kyle Walker can provide even more defensive security, as Gomez is more crucial in defensive duels inside the box.
Also, it would be better to avoid losing a dangerous attacking weapon like Bukayo Saka by playing him as a left-back.
This back-three formation helps eliminate the left-back role, which has been causing England problems so far.
Playing with a back-three can also guarantee having fixed defenders at the back and, therefore, avoid situations like the one that took place during Slovakia’s goal when only two defenders faced three Slovakian players.
The goalscorer’s marker was left behind as he advanced and was not able to retreat in time, leaving a gap at the back of the defence and allowing the ball holder to have two concrete passing options.
Paying more attention to the defensive block, when to advance it, and when to keep it low during the game is very important, as that can help avoid surprising counterattacks like this one.
Such counterattacks against Switzerland can be quicker and much more dangerous, as Switzerland has the attacking players needed for such missions.
Wing-backs, midfield organisation and transitions
It has been suggested that Southgate is thinking about using Phil Foden and Bellingham as two advanced playmakers to have more creativity inside the final third.
However, this might lead to positioning issues as both players will be moving in the same zone, complicating things for each other as it has been the case when Foden was used as a left-wing.
Moreover, Foden has been average or below whenever he was used on the left wing with Manchester City this season, as it is not his best position.
Therefore, it would be better to let Foden on the bench and use him as a weapon in the second half while opting for a pure central midfielder instead to make a duo with Declan Rice.
This second central midfielder should not be Trent Alexander-Arnold either, as the Liverpool star is defensively poor, and he is not able to deal well with the ball when receiving passes with his back towards his goal and being under pressure at the same time.
Such situations require experienced midfielders who are accustomed to receiving the ball in this manner and to handling constant pressure from opponents without committing passing errors.
That’s why the midfield would be better composed of two midfielders with complementary roles.
Declan Rice and one of Conor Gallagher or Kobbie Mainoo would form this midfield duo, and Bellingham would be the advanced playmaker.
As wing-backs, it will be important to keep things natural and play the players in their main positions.
That’s why this will be the best opportunity to opt for Eberechi Eze as a left-winger, as that’s his position at Crystal Palace.
Eze can be very useful in terms of playmaking and finishing as he has what is takes to create problems to any defence.
Plus, this would surprise Switzerland as Eze has never started during the competition so far.
On the right wing, Bukayo Saka should start in this position as he is the best in the team for that specific position.
Using these two players as wingers will be very important for England as they need to exploit them in counterattacks, knowing that England were not good enough in terms of attacking transitions so far.
Even on the few occasions when England were able to advance quickly, they failed to provide the last key pass accurately.
Therefore, it will be important to work on providing accurate passes inside the final third to miss less chances and shoot more on target.
Moreover, it will be beneficial for England to focus on Switzerland’s defensive weaknesses, mainly Ricardo Rodriguez’s side, since he is not that fast.
Saka can exploit this fact and penetrate from the right wing often since it will not be very complicated for him to dribble past Rodriguez.
Attacking duo
To overcome and eventually win against a solid defence like Switzerland’s, it would be a good idea to rely on two strikers upfront: Kane and Ivan Toney, or Kane and Ollie Watkins.
It would be better to start with Kane and Toney, as both players are excellent with headers and have excellent physical abilities to disturb Manuel Akanji, Fabian Schär and Rodriguez.
And with the wing-backs advancing a lot, this would change the formation to 3-2-5 when in possession as Bellingham, the two wingers, and the two strikers would be in their opponent’s half.
Moreover, against Switzerland, diversifying the attacking plans, whether in set-pieces or in open play, is needed; otherwise, it will be difficult to surprise them.
Toney’s header assist to Kane against Slovakia and the latter’s excellent finish highlight the importance of having two strikers inside the box, especially if they have good chemistry with each other.
Conclusion
Using the 3-5-2 with Bellingham retreating to help in midfield when out of possession while playing him as an advanced playmaker when in possession to make it 3-4-1-2 would be the most suitable formation for England in this game.
Avoiding unnecessary changes of players’ positions and providing clear instructions to the players will be necessary to let them be as confident as possible during the game.
England have got what is needed to pass the quarter-finals, however, it will be crucial to know how to approach the game and use the players in the best possible way.
