- England will face Switzerland in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals
- Gareth Southgate is considering switching to three at the back for the clash
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I’m not sure now is the right time for Gareth Southgate to risk switching to a three-man defence for fear of the Swiss.
Ezri Konsa plays for Aston Villa, who don’t use a back three. Lewis Dunk is at Brighton, who doesn’t. Joe Gomez is at Liverpool, who doesn’t. Kyle Walker and John Stones are at Manchester City, who don’t, although you could argue that Pep Guardiola’s sending a man into midfield makes them flirt with that formation.
And that’s before you get to the full-back options, from Bukayo Saka to Kieran Trippier and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
There is no doubt that Switzerland have proven to be a team that has performed better than England at Euro 2024. They beat Italy and almost defeated Germany.
Southgate can be confident that if we change our system to counter the Swiss, we can beat them man to man.
Gareth Southgate is considering switching to three in defence for the clash with Switzerland
It seems like too big a gamble given that many of these stars don’t play in that system at club level.
While it is good to be flexible, I would prefer that we impose our style on Switzerland.
Southgate has taken risks at this Euros that have not gone as planned, first with the inclusion of the injured Luke Shaw and then by using Alexander-Arnold in midfield.
After 99 games in charge, Southgate may have to fine-tune Saturday’s formation to avoid reaching 100 games and being left out. For me, sticking with a back four is the best option.