Jonathan Wilson: Lack of blueprint set to cost Southgate

Euro 2024 analysis and predictions

Gareth Southgate has had a while to sort out his squad's weaknessesCredit: Marvin Ibo Guengoer - GES Sportf

Paddy Power are offering 35-1 for England to qualify for the quarter-finals when they face Slovakia at Euro 2024.

We’ve included instructions on how to claim your offer later on in this article.

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Three Lions braced for a difficult evening

There was a time a few years ago when it was pretty tough to watch Slovakia.

They were not a team who looked to get forward much and at times they produced terrible football, but that's not the case now and they will be more progressive than any of the three teams England have faced at Euro 2024.

If the Three Lions needed a warning about the dangers they face in Gelsenkirchen then they only have to look at the way Slovakia performed in their opening game against Belgium, which they deservedly won.

The parallels are stark. They faced a Belgium team who on paper look to have a lot of good players but in reality it just doesn't seem to work and they rely too much on one playmaker, Kevin De Bruyne.

Slovakia pressed hard and stopped Belgium playing and the fact they ran out of steam in their second game against Ukraine will have served as a warning that they cannot go in too strongly on Sunday. It should have proved a valuable lesson and they have scope to hurt England.

Full-backs Peter Pekarik and David Hancko are going to push forward, which means the wide midfielders will have some defending to do, while Ivan Schranz will be a prominent outlet on the right.

This is one game when it might not be too much of a problem that Kieran Trippier is a right-footed player playing at left-back because Schranz will mainly look to cut inside, attacking Trippier on his stronger side.

I don't really have too much of an issue with Trippier playing on the left but the main problem has been figuring out who should partner Declan Rice in the centre of midfield.

I would have pushed John Stones up and had Trippier and Kyle Walker playing as defenders in a three, which would have given England a much more balanced look and given their wide players greater licence.

But Southgate appears to have been taken by surprise that he was not going to have Kalvin Phillips at the finals – something which was apparent about 18 months ago – and the manager has lost the opportunity to try this and other possible solutions in the run-up to the tournament.

Previously he always had a blueprint but this is the first time he seems genuinely unsure of what to do and is scrambling around at the last minute.

There are all sorts of issues for Southgate to address. I don't think Harry Kane is fit and both Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka look exhausted, and if he decided he had to get a left-footed left-back in the team, I feel it would be a risk to play Luke Shaw in this game.

While Marc Guehi has taken his opportunity, the loss of Harry Maguire has weakened England's threat at set-pieces and that hasn't been addressed either, so there are four or five situations that Southgate should have sorted weeks ago and hasn't.

Make no mistake, this is going to be a difficult game.

Spain just need that finishing touch

Spain were not only the sole team to win all of their group matches, but they have also been the outfit I have been most impressed by in the first two weeks.

There was a time after 2014 when Spain were caught up tactically and teams just allowed them to enjoy all the possession and prevented them from creating opportunities.

However, they are far more direct now under Luis de la Fuente. Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal have been superb in the wide areas, but it must be a concern that they needed an own goal to secure 1-0 win over Italy despite enjoying near total domination.

If Alvaro Morata can find a clinical scoring touch then they have a great chance, but they need to take their opportunities in the tougher half of the draw as otherwise it might not be enough.

Georgia could look to grind them down and go for the jugular. They did that in their playoff game against Greece, which they should have won in extra-time, but we saw how they benefited from going at Portugal straight from the off in their 2-0 win on Wednesday.

Austria have also been really impressive. The fact so many of their players have come through the Red Bull system and their squad is directed by its architect Ralf Rangnick means everyone knows exactly what they are supposed to be doing. They are like a club side.

Rangnick has shown he is not afraid to rotate his team and they all know the job they need to do.

The amount of pressing is draining but ready-made replacements are available and it will be fascinating to see if they can keep things going. I would expect them to see off Turkey anyway.

Grab 35-1 for England to qualify with Paddy Power when you bet on England vs Slovakia

We’ve already mentioned that Paddy Power are offering 35-1 for England to qualify from their clash with Slovakia.

Here is how you can claim this 35-1 Paddy Power offer when you place a qualifying bet England vs Slovakia at Euro 2024.

Head over to Paddy Power through this link to sign up using promo code YFBCXD.
Deposit a minimum of £10 by Cards or Apple Pay.
Place a max £1 bet on the To Qualify for the Next Round market for England on Sunday, June 30.
If your bet is successful, you will be paid in cash based on the normal price on site and will have the extra amount, bringing the bet up to the cumulative 35-1 payout, credited in free bets.
You will receive your Free bet after your qualifying bet settles. Free bets are valid for 7 days.

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