England have laboured through to Saturday’s quarter-final against Switzerland thanks to unadventurous opponents, a solid defence and a moment of iconic brilliance from boy-wonder Jude Bellingham, despite lacking an obvious structure or game-plan.
In three insipid group-stage performances and Sunday’s Bellingham- inspired last-16 win over Slovakia, England have appeared fundamentally confused about what kind of team they want to be: do they suffocate the opponent with possession like Spain? Or press high up and use fast transitions like the Austrians?
By the end of the win over Slovakia, they had abandoned any coherent approach beyond chucking the ball into the mixer and hoping for the best.
To be fair to Gareth Southgate, England’s lack of an ingrained national philosophy is an historic problem dating back to time immemorial.
Everyone knows how Spain, Brazil, Italy or the Netherlands are going to play, but what brand of football to expect from England, especially when the chips are down?
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