England Euro 2024 LIVE: Predicted line-up as Gareth Southgate changes formation in Switzerland

The Trent Alexander-Arnold experiment is dead. Time for another Trent Alexander-Arnold experiment. The Liverpool vice-captain seems to be a misunderstood, underutilized talent on the international stage. His time in midfield included 123 minutes against Serbia and Denmark and was important enough, such a scientific journey of discovery, that it earned its own status. It was an “experiment.”

That this was seen as a failure became obvious when Gareth Southgate rotated Declan Rice’s partners against Slovakia – Kobbie Mainoo for the craftsmanship, Conor Gallagher for the bribery, Jude Bellingham for the bicycle kick – and in the case of Alexander-Arnold there was no script.

Not as a midfielder, anyway. But I felt an urgent need for Alexander-Arnold in his original incarnation, as a revolutionary right-back, a supreme creator, a player with the ability to do extraordinary things.

England have been working on a back three in training ahead of their Euro 2024 quarter-final against Switzerland, with Kyle Walker being moved to the right side of centre-back and Bukayo Saka potentially playing as a left-back. Gareth Southgate is now actively considering a formation change in what could be a crucial change midway through the tournament.

The coach was concerned that his initial system had not worked in the four games so far, but a number of factors eventually forced him to work on something different ahead of the match against Switzerland.

The most important reason was the need to change the defence, as Marc Guehi was suspended after receiving a second yellow card in the 2-1 win over Slovakia.

The playmaker admitted he was frustrated that things had not clicked but said it was not down to manager Gareth Southgate’s tactics – rather the players had to take responsibility. Foden said they had felt held back by the nature of the games and the defensive approach of the opposition, but believes the team need to be more proactive.

While the 24-year-old admitted he would like to play in the centre of the park for England, he denied there was any connection between his relationship with Jude Bellingham and believes the team’s performance is improving.

Euro 2024 is heading into the quarter-finals after a thrilling start to the knockout stage that saw eight more teams eliminated from the tournament.

Spain were the only team to take a maximum of nine points in the group stage and continued their impressive form with a 4-1 win over Georgia. Switzerland and Germany advanced to the quarter-finals with 2-0 wins, but it was much harder for France, England and Portugal, who respectively needed a late own goal, a very late equaliser/winner in extra time and a penalty shootout to progress.

In this article, we assess how each of the countries taking part in Euro 2024 are faring ahead of the quarter-finals (rankings are updated after each round of competition).

Sometimes in football, great thinkers are not great winners. They can show everyone else their ideas, but not medals. That is why they attract disciples, but also dissidents. Ralf Rangnick is the godfather of gegenpressing, but Jurgen Klopp borrowed his methods and won the Champions League, league titles in two countries and a lot of cups. After some four decades as a manager, Rangnick has won the Intertoto Cup, the German Cup, the German Second League and the German Third League.

There are managers with bigger trophy cabinets and far less influence. Instead, Rangnick’s reputation is that of a central European Marcelo Bielsa: a pioneer, an evangelist, a man who changed the game but didn’t win the decisive matches. For Rangnick, Euro 2024 promised an overdue reward, a historic achievement, an undeniable proof of excellence. He began to admit that yes, Austria could win.

Ezri Konsa will be hoping for Gareth Southgate’s approval with Marc Guehi suspended for the quarter-final against Switzerland, but has so far only featured at left-back.

“I believed from the start that we would score. I didn’t think it would be so late. I wasn’t ready to go home yet, and the players clearly felt the same way.”

There has never been a goal in the final minute of qualifying – or since – that has actually kept England in the tournament. The closest was Gary Lineker’s penalty against Cameroon in the 1990 World Cup quarter-finals, but that was in the 83rd minute. It wasn’t quite as desperately needed.

At St George’s Park, before England travelled to Germany, Southgate turned back the clock. “We gave the players a presentation about 1966 and how Geoff Hurst didn’t play until the quarter-finals.” Hurst finished the final a hat-trick hero and, if that’s self-explanatory, some of Southgate’s players may not know that the man who achieved immortality entered the 1966 World Cup with just one international goal to his name.

Plans can change mid-game, and peripheral figures can take centre stage. The road to glory isn’t always smooth, even if England managed to make it look incredibly bumpy as they squeezed past Slovakia.

Gareth Southgate believes Jude Bellingham’s goal against Slovakia could be the spark for England in this tournament, similar to Paul Gascoigne’s goal against Scotland at Euro 96. Southgate highlighted the legend of that tournament, with the 1990 World Cup making people forget their early performances were poor.

“Well, there’s no doubt it will give the whole group belief,” he said. “The guys who came in and contributed to what we were doing had a big impact on what we were doing: the unity and spirit that you need.