Euro 2024: England take on Switzerland after a series of underwhelming performances. Will they be able to trump over the in form Swiss side? Here are the key talking points ahead of the match.
Jude Bellingham of England (L) and Ruben Vargas of Switzerland (R) (Photo: Getty Images)
New Delhi: England will face a highly confidence Switzerland in their quarter-final draw in Dusseldorf. Both sides come into the clash without ever having won the trophy previously, though England were runners-up in the previous edition.
England haven’t had the best of runs coming into this game. Despite an early goal in their opening match over Serbia, the scoreboard ended at 1-0. The flair was lacking from the previous edition’s finalist. They drew against Denmark 1-1 despite getting many chances to come ahead of their opponents.
With their final game needing them to win or draw to qualify for the elimination stage, England produced a dismal show and went goalless against Slovenia. The poor has led to English fans getting irked by the English manager Gareth Southgate. To the extent that in their final group game, fans threw cups at Southgate.
Experts had hoped that English performance would get better in the knockout stage. However, that hasn’t been the scenario so far. In their final-16 game against Slovakia, for 90 minutes, Slovakia led the scorecard 1-0. It was in the extra time that goals from Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane pulled England to a win.
Switzerland, on the other hand, have been in form. They started the tournament with a 3-1 win over Hungary. They drew both their next two games against Scotland and Germany with identical scorelines of 1-1. In the form that Germany was, it was no less feat to play a draw against the host team.
Qualifying second from Group A behind the Die Mannschaft, they faced Italy in their last-16 game. The 2-0 win over trophy holders has made many experts rate the Swiss side the favourites in their competition against England.
Xhaka Granit’s explosive performance
BERLIN, GERMANY – JUNE 29: Granit Xhaka of Switzerland controls the ball during the UEFA EURO 2024 round of 16 match between Switzerland and Italy at Olympiastadion on June 29, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
While Switzerland have plenty of big players, Murat Yakin’s big match player is captain Granit Xhaka. Since his departure from Arsenal last summer, the 31-year-old has been in the form of his life and on a winning streak.
Xhaka’s ability to dictate games has been one of the key reasons for his team’s success. The midfielder is swift on the pitch and has precise tempo-controlling abilities. In Switzerland’s win over Italy, no player had more passes or created more chances than Xhaka. He comes against a team whose midfield lacks a player of this stature. His fans would hope that their captain gets his due in his international career and helps his side move to the next stage of the tournament.
English formation without Guehli
GELSENKIRCHEN, GERMANY – JUNE 30: Marc Guehi of England during the UEFA EURO 2024 round of 16 match between England and Slovakia at Arena AufSchalke on June 30, 2024 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. (Photo by Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images)
The English side’s biggest hurdle coming into the quarter-finals will be their formation. Marc Guehi is one of the most consistent performers in Germany for the England team. However, he will serve a one-match suspension after picking his second yellow card in the tournament. Ezri Konsa, a late substitute in extra time against Slovakia in the Round of 16, will be the best contender to replace Guehi in the starting XI.
Rumours have circulated that Southgate will revert to a back-three formation to improve the side’s balance. This would mean Kyle Walker will likely move into a centre-back role, and Bukayo Saka and Kieran Trippier will likely be featured in the wing-back.
Dan Ndyoe’s emergence
BERLIN, GERMANY – JUNE 29: Dan Ndoye of Switzerland in action during the UEFA EURO 2024 round of 16 match between Switzerland and Italy at Olympiastadion on June 29, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Masashi Hara/Getty Images)
Dan Ndyoe is part of a team that benefits from the experiences of Xhaka, Fabian Schar, and Yann Sommer. Still, the forward has made a name for bringing new energy to this setup.
In the 1-1 draw over Germany, Ndyoe scored his first international goal. It is the way he runs towards the defenders and then moves around them that has been the element of surprise everyone is talking about. The Swiss Right-winger could take advantage if England plays with a changed formation and target the English wing that will play without Guehli’s consistency.
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