ENGLAND 1-1 SWITZERLAND (PENS 5-3): Gareth Southgate’s men are still yet to hit top gear in Germany, some of their most-prized assets have repeatedly struggled and that should offer hope that they can go the distance at Euro 2024
England must now believe they can win Euro 2024 but some of their best players are still yet to hit top gear.
This was not pretty, it was purely about grit, unity, spirit and belief as the resolute Three Lions dragged themselves over the line in Dusseldorf, winning 5-3 on penalties. Say what you like about Gareth Southgate but this England team knows how to win knockout matches and penalty shootouts at major tournaments under his tutelage. But if they are to go the distance in Germany – they will need more from some of their top stars, that is the cold hard truth.
The brilliant Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham led the way against Switzerland but the flat performances of captain Harry Kane and Phil Foden still left a lot to be desired – despite another memorable victory.
Eyebrows were raised seconds before kick-off when Saka drifted over to the right flank as he’d been tipped to feature at left wing-back following a change of system.
But his exceptional, influential performance and perseverance to drag England level with a moment of magic spoke volumes. He did not want to play left wing-back, something he made known to the media last week, and the two-time England Player of the Year repaid the faith of his manager in the most convincing fashion – while also exorcising any lingering Euro 2020 final penalty demons.
Captain Kane had to watch the shootout through his fingertips from the sideline after being withdrawn from the fray in the second half of extra-time following a collision with the Three Lions bench – it’s about the only way he was going to end up there as Southgate never seems to want to take him off.
It has become increasingly hard to justify the continued selection of the Bayern Munich frontman because at times, he looks like he’s attempting to play another game to his England colleagues and looks immobile.
At one point in the first half, he was even filling in at left-back to cover for Kieran Trippier. That is just not his job. It makes zero sense.
You can’t help but feel he would have buried his spot-kick, however, and equally, you would be silly to bet against him having a say in the last-four but his involvement must improve.
This star-studded England starting XI boasts the best players from the Premier League, Bundesliga and La Liga last season and regardless of how they’re assembled on the field, they should have the character, quality and stardust to win matches by themselves.
That’s what transpired in Gelsenkirchen against Slovakia when Bellingham and Kane, who had an alarmingly poor match, flipped a rocky, rollercoaster contest on its head with two supreme finishes.
Foden was right with his refreshingly honest assessment of England’s dramatic extra-time triumph that day, claiming both he and his peers “need to take some blame” following the repeated bashing of Southgate, whom he felt “sorry” for.
He is a freak, generational talent and on the basis of the electrifying form he displayed at club level for Manchester City last season, he should be single-handedly tearing teams apart.
Instead, he has barely looked functional having spent most of this tournament operating from the left but even when a mercurial star like Foden is playing out of position, you expect so much more.
Here he was given arguably more freedom than any of his England team-mates in the centre of a complex, crowded system but still, his ability failed to shine through and was even subbed off before penalties – hardly a vote of confidence. The same struggles cannot be attributed to Bellingham, however, even if he was shoehorned into England’s attack on the left flank.
He dug in and stamped his influence upon proceedings, doing a determined, dogged job for the team before sliding home his penalty. Starting Luke Shaw over Kieran Trippier also must now, surely be under consideration.
If Southgate can get Kane and Foden on song – they really can end 58 years of hurt, make no mistake about it.
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