Form is poor, nervousness is rising. England face their first real test

COMMENT: If on the club scene the quality of the squad and greater possibilities are often decisive, only a strong collective will succeed on the national level in the long run. England, along with France, have the sovereign best Euro roster this year, but are struggling in terms of performance. They are holding their own in the tournament thanks to an easy draw, but now comes the test.

• England sent just two shots on target against Slovakia in the eighth round
• Albion have the least effective pressing of all the Euro quarter-finalists
• The Swiss played two decent games against favourites Germany and Italy

Portugal at Euro 2016, Italy at the 2021 European Championships and Argentina a year later at the World Cup in Qatar. Three winners of major tournaments, the roster was far from the biggest favourite. But as a team, they were the strongest and, as a result, they ended up celebrating success.

Stars that don’t shine

England sent an incredible team to the Euros this year in terms of individuality and their stats. The strength of the nomination is perhaps best summed up by the fact that the author of 19 goals in the last Premier League season, Dominic Solanke, did not make it. No one else has that luxury.

But even though coach Gareth Southgate has a wide squad full of English league stars, he keeps relying on the same players who are currently out of form. You don’t see Harry Kane on the pitch, Jude Bellingham is clearly exhausted, and both wingers are struggling.

Southgate has been in the job since 2017 and the conservative approach is nothing new with him. But England have never performed this badly in a major tournament under his leadership. In over 400 minutes, the star selection scored just four goals. And that’s really not enough!

Something to worry about

There is nervousness among England fans too, given the performance so far. They don’t understand that Southgate won’t touch the line-up more, while at the same time they have respect for the Swiss, who knocked out the Italians and earlier led the Germans into the set-up.

And it wasn’t just about results. The Swiss have impressed at the championship with beautiful goals from distance and especially with quick one-touch combinations. Unlike England, they have scored in every game so far. The current form is clearly in their favour, and for England it will be the first opponent in the tournament that is really in form!

Source: Euro 2024