Football expert Peter Knäbel, who has watched England live in the stadium twice so far, analyzes our opponents for blue Sport. His conclusion should give us hope for the quarter-final clash.
No time? blue Sport summarizes for you
- Football expert Peter Knäbel has watched our quarter-final opponents England live twice. The Three Lions have been easy to count out so far, he says: "England play in a solid 4:2:3:1 system, without any tactical surprises so far."
- However, Murat Yakin's team must pay particular attention to two exceptional players, Knäbel analyzes. Superstar Jude Bellingham ("an exceptional leader in terms of energy") and the 12th man ("the English crowd is fantastic").
- Although Switzerland have been much more convincing in footballing terms so far, for Knäbel the motherland of football remains the favorite in the quarter-final clash.
You could call him an England expert, says Peter Knäbel (57), "at least as far as the European Championship is concerned". He has been there live twice to watch Gareth Southgate's team.
The former technical director of the Swiss Football Association and current football expert analyzes our quarter-final opponents for blue News. "First things first," says Knäbel, "we're not playing against the Premier League, we're playing against England." This is important mentally, he explains, "because we're not playing against a world team, but against the best English players".
Gareth Southgate's team have less tournament experience than the Swiss and we're no worse off in this year's title comparison between the individual players, says Knäbel: "They don't have the defensive foundations we have with Akanji, Xhaka and Sommer, an English, a German and an Italian champion."
England's games so far have not exactly knocked the long-serving Schalke sporting director off his seat. "They are excellent individual players, but not a well-coordinated team. The national team has a variable system of play with and against the ball, but I haven't seen that with England so far."
"Bellingham and the fans are outstanding"
And yet the Three Lions have their weapons. The biggest and most dangerous is Jude Bellingham (21). The Real star must be eliminated if England are to be knocked out of the tournament.
Knäbel: "Bellingham is a sensational player and an exceptionally energetic leader of the team. To beat England, you have to beat Bellingham. Because as long as he's still twitching, England aren't dead." He showed this with his magnificent overhead kick, which saved England against Slovakia in the 95th minute of extra time and ultimately secured their place in the quarter-finals.
What to do? Put a man-marker on the superstar? The wrong approach for Knäbel. "Every Swiss player has to be involved, everyone has to keep an eye on Bellingham. From kick-off to the final whistle."
Foden, Saka, Rice and Kane are also all great footballers, Knäbel continued, "but so far they've all had their weak moments in the game and were easy to count out. Kane, for example, has hardly offered any deep runs so far, relying instead on his outstanding box-to-box presence. England play a solid 4:2:3:1 system, with no tactical surprises so far."
That's why he cites the England fans in the stadium as another major strength. "In terms of atmosphere, it's fantastic what the English crowd delivers in the stands. There's a lot of energy there, but I'm sure that the red wall will put up a fight like never before."
"We don't have to talk ourselves into the opportunity, it's there"
When it comes to the system of play, team unity, playing with the ball and against the ball, in short: purely in terms of football, Murat Yakin's team has the edge so far, says Knäbel. "But big England are always favorites against Switzerland, that's in the nature of things. But if there's a moment to beat the motherland of football, it's now. We don't have to talk ourselves into the chance, it's definitely there."
