With just 48 hours until England meet Denmark in the semi-finals of Euro 2020 at Wembley Stadium, we take a look at how Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions could line up against the Danes.
Having utilised 21 of his 26 player squad in their opening five matches, Southgate now faces tricky decisions over who gets the starting nod in Wednesday’s (7 July) semi-final against a much improved Denmark.
I have therefore decided to take a look at how Southgate could opt to line up his starting eleven as England chase a first Final since 1966 FIFA World Cup. in hope of continuing their bid to bring football home after 55 years of heartbreak.
Goalkeeper
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With six consecutive clean sheets in his last six England appearances, Jordan Pickford is definitely set to retain his no.1 slot in goal like has done all tournament with Sam Johnstone and Aaron Ramsdale yet to make an appearance.
This game however will be Pickford’s biggest test of the tournament because although he has been excellent throughout this tournament, Pickford will need to be alert throughout the match given Denmark’s recent quick starts and ruthless ability to finish chances.
Defence
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Having played a mixture of a back three or four throughout the tournament, Southgate now faces a difficult task of deciding how to tactically approach this game defensively given that Denmark have created a solid three-man central defence since making a forced tactical switch due to Christian Eriksen’s withdrawal.
England however unlocked their sharpness when switching to a three-man central defence in their Round of 16 win over Germany, yet switched back to a flat four in their dominant victory over Ukraine on Saturday where they played even better which gives Southgate serious tactical questions to ponder.
This is the semi-final stage though so Southgate really should look to retain as much consistency as he can from Saturday’s win, so an unchanged back four of Kyle Walker, John Stones, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw seriously looks the best bet.
Midfield
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Should Southgate indeed opt for a four-man defence then expect to see Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice retain their starting positions in central midfield, particularly given that those two have been first-choice in their positions throughout the tournament so I can’t see any changes except for any case of injury.
Southgate therefore would have the option of operating a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation but Denmark do have excellent pace in their midfield with the wing-backs, so if I was Southgate, I would be tempted to go 4-3-3 with Mason Mount on the left and Phillips shifting to the right to leave Rice manning the central third.
Forward
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Southgate shouldn’t have much trouble up front because Harry Kane is a guaranteed start in central attack with Raheem Sterling on the left given their form.
The right-winger position however is between Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka but with Denmark’s Daniel Wass likely to provide an obstacle at right wing-back, Saka would likely be the better fit given his ability to cut in when required as well as play out wide which could pose difficulties for Wass at high-speed.
