England overcame Switzerland via a 5-3 penalty shootout win after a 1-1 draw, in a nerve-twitching quarter-final in Dortmund. Here are some takeaways from the game.
Better Shape and intensity
Gareth Southgate opted to mirror Switzerland’s system of a 3-4-2-1 formation, and you could immediately see more fluidity in England’s football.
The only thing that was lacking in that performance, was the quality in the final third, as England only had three shots on target, one of which was Bukayo Saka’s 80th-minute equalizer.
But the change of system was a masterstroke by the England Boss, as it was able to nullify the Swiz high press for large periods of the game.
The players also showed better intensity to stick to the game plan, which was successful for large parts of the game
Will he stick to the same system for the semi-final against the Netherlands?
5 Perfect Penalties
Aside from 1990 and 2018, England’s record in penalty shootouts has been abysmal, losing seven out of ten at major tournaments.
The last one was the most painful, in the Final of Euro 2020 against Italy.
This time it was Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Saka, Ivan Toney, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who were tasked with the job of sending The Three Lions into the semi-finals.
What was so impressive, was their body language, and how composed they were in converting those penalties.
Let’s also not forget that this is Palmer and Toney’s first appearance at a major tournament with England.
Even though they are regular penalty takers for their clubs, delivering this skill at a major tournament with a whole nation looking down on you, requires an awful lot of courage, and they certainly showed that in the shootout.
3. Resilience
England have not been at their absolute best at this tournament, but the one thing they have shown is the mental resilience to see out pressure moments.
Even when they equalised, Switzerland were still piling the pressure onto England’s back five, and the way each defender dealt with the high press, particularly Ezri Konsa, who was making his first start for England was exceptional.
In the past, we have seen previous generations of England teams crumble when the pressure has gotten to them, but not this team.
It all started at the 2018 World Cup when they beat Columbia on penalties.
This was a moment when people started to believe in the new generation of players.
You also have to give some credit to Southgate for installing mental resilience in his players and showing faith in them, even if they are not part of his ‘favourite gang’.
Let’s hope he can continue to drive his team on for the remainder of the European Championships.
4. Late Substitutions again?
One of the criticisms of Southgate has been how and when he has used his substitutions.
The strangest thing was the fact that Luke Shaw, Palmer, and Eberechi Eze were brought on in the 78th minute, straight after Switzerland scored the opener.
Perhaps Southgate could have rolled the dice earlier, and got those substitutions on a little earlier, to give the Swiz something to think about, as England looked far more potent when the three subs came on.
This is the problem with Southgate, at times he is a little reactive rather than proactive in terms of his in-game tactics.
And you just feel that may come back to haunt him if he doesn’t get the timing of those subs against the Netherlands right.
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