“A bits and pieces team” - Chris Sutton predicts England vs Switzerland and names Marc Guehi’s replacement in starting XI
BBC Sport columnist Chris Sutton has backed England to beat Switzerland 1-0 in their upcoming Euro 2024 quarter-final fixture at the Merkur Spiel Arena (Saturday, July 6). He also reckons that Aston Villa centre-back Ezri Konsa will replace Marc Guehi in the starting XI due to suspension.
The Three Lions have been extremely underwhelming despite finishing at the top of Group C with five points. They won just one game and drew twice, scoring just two goals in total. In contrast, Switzerland finished second in Group A behind Germany with five points as well.
England were rather fortunate to defeat Slovakia 2-1 in their Round of 16 encounter. After trailing 1-0 for most of the game, Guehi assisted Jude Bellingham's outrageous overhead kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time to send the game to extra time. Harry Kane scored the winner in the first minute of extra time to ensure they made it to the final eight.
Meanwhile, Switzerland deservedly defeated reigning Euro 2020 champions Italy with a 2-0 win. Unfortunately for the Three Lions, Guehi picked up his second yellow card of Euro 2024, meaning he will be suspended in the quarter-finals.
Sutton wrote (via BBC Sport):
"Switzerland are another well-balanced team. They have belief in the way they play, and they seem to be getting stronger as the tournament goes on, as we saw when they beat Italy in the last 16. I had hung my hat on Italy, thinking the holders had to get going eventually - a bit like I have been doing with England - but they didn't play well and a big part of that was down to how dominant the Swiss were.
"There are plenty of similarities with this tie, but I don't think England will be rolled over like Italy. I am not just backing Gareth Southgate's side blindly, because they deserved to beat Slovakia - just about - and maybe a moment like Jude Bellingham's equaliser can change the mood of their tournament."
He added:
"There are still plenty of areas where England need to get better. I hate their lack of balance on the left-hand side. Luke Shaw has not played a minute in this tournament yet, and that was a risk that manager Southgate has got badly wrong.
"At the moment, there is not much point dwelling on that. It is all about getting through this game, and England can do it. I still want to see Cole Palmer start on the right because he offers something different creatively and looks so at ease with himself, but it is pretty obvious that won't happen."
He also named Konsa as Guehi's possible replacement. The former impressed for Aston Villa last season, making 50 appearances across all competitions, helping them qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
"We will see one change at the back because Marc Guehi is suspended, and Ezri Konsa will probably come in, which is fine, but that will be it. I am not expecting England to do very much different from what we've seen so far.
"England are a bits-and-pieces team and are not going to suddenly turn into a side like Spain who play some beautiful football, but they have so much talent that they should still have too much for the Swiss."
Sutton's Prediction: 1-0
"How can you drop him? It’s ridiculous" - Alan Shearer blasts calls for Jude Bellingham to be dropped from England starting XI in Euro 2024 knockouts
Premier League icon Alan Shearer has slammed calls for Jude Bellingham to be dropped from England's starting XI after former Liverpool star Didi Hamann called for Gareth Southgate to do so.
Bellingham has had a mixed Euro 2024 campaign so far. While he scored two good goals in the Three Lions' wins against Slovakia (2-1) and Serbia (1-0), he struggled to make any sort of impact in their group-stage draws against Denmark (1-1) and Slovenia (0-0).
This led to my fans and pundits calling for Southgate to drop Bellingham in the knockouts with Hamann calling for Phil Foden to play in the No. 10 role. However, during The Rest is Football podcast, Shearer responded (via METRO):
"There is no way he should be dropped. How can you drop him? It’s ridiculous. Of course he shouldn’t be dropped, he’s got to be in the team."
Despite his mixed form, Bellingham is currently one of the best midfielders in the world and is in contention to win the 2024 Ballon d'Or. He had a standout debut season for Real Madrid, garnering 23 goals and 13 assists in 42 appearances across all competitions.