Gareth Southgate’s England continue to ride forward on their slow but steady rain in Euro 2024 after bagging a nail-biting win over a very composed Switzerland in their quarter-final clash on July 6.
Murat Yakin’s Switzerland showcased some panache in their gameplay whenever they had the ball at their feet. The attacking setup of the side with the likes of skipper Granit Xhaka, Remo Freuler, building runs through the incredibly agile Dan Ndoye, consistently caused threats to the England backline. Ndoye’s tussle with Kyle Walker was a sight for the sore eyes of every European football fan, who saw a clear clash of pace against pace.
Ndoye consistently dropped from the wing to the midfield, which visibly made it difficult for the likes of Stones and Walker to keep a check on the Switzerland attacking runs. One might argue that the predictable nature of the attacking runs from Switzerland should have been dealt better by Gareth Southgate’s side, but that does not take anything away from the kind of football Yakin’s side played in this match.
England gaffer Gareth Southgate seemed to have learnt from his shortcomings in his tactics from the side’s previous disappointing Euro 2024 fixtures, and that brought in some touch of confidence in their gameplay. Sticking to the basics, playing players in their usual positions, it was this simple for Southgate to unlock the actual potential of this star-studded England squad, atleast to some extent. The likes of Bukayo Saka in the attack-line and Ezri Konsa at the back, can easily be picked as the standouts for the Three Lions in this match.
With the likes of Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden having had an on and off outing against the very composed Switzerland backline, Saka stepped up in quite an emphatic fashion. On the big occasion, his brilliantly placed long-range strike had left Sommer without an answer, bringing England back into the game.
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