'We can click together' England seek redemption in Düsseldorf

The talk among the English, in recent days, has been of change. After a period of chaos and instability, where nothing appeared to be working, there was a chance to turn the page. Would the opportunity be taken? Would Gareth Southgate switch to three at the back?

- Paul MacInnes

As many as 30,000 England supporters are expected to descend on Düsseldorf this evening as the Three Lions take on Switzerland for a place in the semi-finals of the men's European Championship. If the team win, it would cement Southgate's position, in his 100th game in charge, as the most successful England manager since Sir Alf Ramsey.

Yet the mood among fans and pundits alike has been hostile, with only a remarkable lastminute overhead kick from Jude Bellingham having prevented the ignominy of being sent home by Slovakia in the round of 16.

The Swiss will be a step up in opposition, having already dismantled the reigning champions, Italy, in their last match. They are a confident, welldrilled side, many of whom have played together for more than a decade.

England, meanwhile, look like a disparate collection of individuals, far less than the sum of their parts. The challenge for Southgate is to rediscover the cohesion that has taken his teams to a semi-final, a final and a quarter-final in his three previous tournaments as manager.