England’s Tactical Shift Under Gareth Southgate Tactics – Crafting A Winning Back-Three Setup For Euro 2024

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 25^th 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.