The general election at home which ended 14 years of rule by the Conservative Party didn’t make waves in the England camp, which they claim to be a “politics-free zone.” But if they fail to go beyond the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, it surely will raise a storm in the footballing circles back home.
England were tested by Slovakia in the round of 16, but what awaits them in the quarters on Saturday will be an even sterner examination. Opponents Switzerland have been beaten only once in their 18 matches since the last World Cup.
For an England side that has found opening up opponents difficult in Germany, the organised and strong Swiss present another tactical challenge for manager Gareth Southgate.
The Swiss have a settled back-four but coach Murat Yakin is not afraid to make changes in the forward positions, and with several options across the front three, it makes it hard to plan for them.
Switzerland’s seven goals at Euro 2024 have come from different players, they are
not reliant on an individual who can be contained, but spread the workload across the team, whether in attack or defence.
They also work incredibly hard. Midfielder Rubin Vargas praised his side for how they suffocated Italy when out of possession. “We didn’t give them time to breathe,” he said.
The Swiss are second bottom for number of tackles made (36) at the finals, but have conceded only three goals, which shows how they use their organisation and press to subdue opponents.
“When we put on our pressing, we won’t let them (England) play. That’s our job,” Yakin told reporters.
“We played well against Germany, we played well against Italy, so why shouldn’t we beat England?”
History though is against Switzerland, who haven’t beaten England for 43 years.
Southgate will have to think out of the box. He will need Jude Bellingham to be at his best, he will need Phil Foden to make those runs. He is hamstrung at the back though as defender Marc Guehi is suspended after picking up a second booking against Slovakia. Ezri Konsa is the front-runner to replace him.
It’s Southgate’s 100th game in charge. He wouldn’t want it to be his last. His contract expires after the tournament.
With inputs from Reuters
