There was national agitation when, in the earliest stages of Euro 2020, news emerged that the Football Association were planning to offer Gareth Southgate a new contract. The players were keen. Southgate was keen.
What you think of the England manager’s tactical nous is a matter of personal taste, whether you favour subduing opponents with the calvary or with caution. Ultimately, this divide seems to have defined much of his tenure so far. Those within camp are delighted. His detractors outside of it probably won’t ever be.
Southgate’s approach so far has taken in four different formations and successfully resisted the clamour for certain individuals at the expense of his team’s balance – and whatever you may think, he has taken England to within 90 minutes of a major final for the second time in three years.
Once again, the Three Lions are in the more favourable half of the draw. Will Denmark’s fairytale withstand the favourites who finally roared to life against Germany?
It is hard to know exactly what can be gleaned from the subsequent thumping of Ukraine, but it is not by chance that England are the only team in the tournament who have not conceded a goal.
Which leads us to dilemma one. In the 2-0 win over Germany, a four-man defence became a back three with the intention of combatting Joachim Low’s wing-backs.
Team news
The only defender who gave any real cause for alarm in the quarter-final in Rome was Kyle Walker and he would likely start as part of a back three anyway as a centre-back. It seems more likely that the 31-year-old will remain in a full-back pairing with Luke Shaw, who registered two assists in four minutes against Ukraine.
Bukayo Saka has recovered from a knock sustained in training, which means England have a fully-fit squad to choose from. According to The Athletic, the teenager will return to the starting line-up in place of Jadon Sancho in an otherwise unchanged England side.
Yellow cards are reset in the semi-finals – so no player will have to be rested for fear of missing the final (Kalvin Phillips, Declan Rice, Harry Maguire and Phil Foden were all at risk of suspension).
Phillips and Rice do not need to set the midfield alight to prove their worth, particularly as Southgate will now have greater options in attack. Although Mason Mount started anyway last time out, he had been training away from the group following his period of self-isolation having come into contact with Billy Gilmour after the draw with Scotland (the same applied to Ben Chilwell, who was left on the bench).
There is expected to be no return to the starting XI for Foden, who was sparkling at times against Croatia, dull in the second outing versus Scotland, and rested against Czech Republic because of a booking. The forward appears to have slipped out of the spotlight in this potentially history-making squad.
Sancho has seemingly not seized his chance either, offering moments of flare in his first start – but could have done with some more tangible takeaways.
At least one debate ad nauseam has been silenced. Dominic Calvert-Lewin will not be starting in place of Harry Kane.
England’s predicted XI vs Denmark: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Philips, Rice; Saka, Mount, Sterling; Kane.
More from i on Euro 2020
- Why there have been so many own goals – from tiredness to lazy defending
- We need to talk about Jordan Pickford – the unsung hero of this England team
- What the Premier League could learn from Euro 2020’s controversy-free referees
- The football nomad who became a hero for his role in saving Eriksen’s life
- How to watch every Euro 2020 match on TV and online in the UK
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3qPOTM6
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