As England booked their place in the Euro 2020 final, the win over Denmark was another match in which Gareth Southgate got his tactics spot-on. The Danes were always likely to cause England a much sterner test than the quarter-final against Ukraine, and that’s just how it proved, with Mikkel Damsgaard’s free-kick giving Denmark the lead in the first half.
Being behind in a match was the one situation Southgate’s side hadn’t encountered yet, but the England boss did not panic as some of his predecessors might have. Although painful memories of past defeats in semi-finals were flashing through the minds of all England fans, Southgate stuck to his guns and kept faith in the team he had put on the field to do the job. Not long after Denmark had taken the lead, England had forced an equalizer, and Bukayo Saka, restored to the team by Southgate for the semi-final, was the man whose square ball was key to Simon Kjær bundling into his own net.
Many were questioning why Southgate did not make more substitutions in the second half, when England were struggling to create clear-cut chances against a resolute Danish defense. But the decision was vindicated in extra-time, as England looked by far the fitter of the two teams, and they duly got their winning goal when Harry Kane slotted in the rebound after having his penalty saved.
And so, England will face Italy in the final on Sunday, and it’s fair to say that Southgate will need his best tactical performance yet if the Three Lions are to end those 55 years without a major international title. Italy survived a Spanish onslaught to reach the final on penalties, but they’ll fancy their chances of getting the better of England and spoiling their Wembley party. It’s fitting that the final will be contested by the two best teams in the tournament, and it’s no surprise that there is little to separate the two sides among those looking to bet on Italy v England.
Southgate may well look to the example set by Spain in his preparation to take on Italy. In the semi-final, Luis Enrique lined out with no recognized centre-forward, with Dani Olmo operating in a false nine role. This was based on the fact that Italy centre-halves Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci had dealt with Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku with considerable ease in the quarter-finals, and that poses an interesting dilemma for Southgate regarding Harry Kane.
There is surely no chance of Kane being left out for the final, especially with the Tottenham Hotspur striker still trying to weave his way to the top of the Euro 2020 top scorers charts, but Southgate will need to come up with a game plan that allows Kane to flourish against two such hardened defenders. The key may lie with players like Raheem Sterling and Saka, who have the potential to cause trouble in between Italy’s defense and midfield.
Southgate will be more than prepared for this match. You can bet that he will have been watching Italy throughout the tournament and devising a strategy with his coaching staff for how England could get the better of them. Now that the Italians stand between England and a first European Championship title, the pressure is on to execute a masterplan of how to beat Roberto Mancini’s men, who have not lost in 33 matches. That’s the scale of the challenge, but Southgate has got everything right so far, and there is a sense that England’s name is on the trophy.