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Midfield - Declan Rice, Kalvin Phillips, Mason Mount
Against Ukraine, Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips ran the risk of being suspended for the semi-finals if they picked up a booking on the night. However, England got the job done with a lot of time left on the clock, so both players were withdrawn to give them a bit of extra rest and protection. If you look at how they operate together, they are very slick and efficient and have quickly become key players for England. They are very uncomplicated in how they go about their games and have focused on winning the ball back to feed it to the more skillful players ahead of them.
In the game against Croatia, Phillips was stationed in a bit of an advanced position and was the best player on the pitch, as he capped off a fine display in midfield by providing the assist for Raheem Sterling's goal. In recent games, he's played slightly deeper in a 4-2-3-1, with Southgate making slight adjustments to his team based on the opposition. In the quarterfinals, England started really well and got a deserved lead, but Ukraine had an impetus and a belief about their game just before the half-time whistle. They were just beginning to come back into the game, so the interval came at the worst time for them. Harry Kane was also seen gesturing to his teammates that they'll change shape to a 4-4-2, with Sterling joining the England captain in attack. The tactical switch paid dividends, as they scored an early goal in the second half and eventually recorded a resounding 4-0 victory.
I fancy Mason Mount to complete the midfield. He wasn't one of the standout players against Ukraine, but his work rate was top-notch as usual. He's playing his part in a well-oiled England side that is functioning really nicely as a unit.
Attack - Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling
I didn't have Raheem Sterling in my preferred XI against Croatia, but he's absolutely loving life at the moment and has emerged as England's main man at Euro 2020. The 2020-21 season wasn't his greatest for Manchester City, as he found himself in and out of the starting XI and failed to produce the goods consistently. For England, though, he's scored goals, provided assists and been an absolute menace to play against with his low center of gravity and ability to turn really quickly.
Sterling just has that aura about him when you look at the bigger picture. I thought the way he slid the ball through to Harry Kane against Ukraine was absolutely brilliant, that's the kind of incision I want to see. He has a little thing going with Kane and that's another one of those partnerships that's working really well for England. The fact that all these combinations are working so well is making them look so much better.
Harry Kane looked out of sorts in the first few games and was questioned quite rightly, but his instincts seem to have kicked in now. He's combining well with Sterling and the other players around him and is waiting to get to the end of moves without having to drop back as he does for Tottenham Hotspur. He has a lot of talented players around him and will get the required service to find the back of the net, so it's all looking very good for England.
The right-wing spot is a bit of a tricky one. Jadon Sancho started against Ukraine and was given a rating of four by L'Equipe, which in my opinion, was a bit harsh. He was involved in a few good moments, but he didn't hurt the opposition defenders in the grand scheme of things, as he did all the better stuff away from the penalty area. Sancho was preferred to Phil Foden to seemingly stretch Ukraine's back-three, but an injury to Serhiy Kryvtsov forced Andriy Shevchenko to switch to a 4-3-3.
Gareth Southgate will weigh up his options ahead of the Denmark game. When Phil Foden played, he didn't set the world alight either, but in my opinion, Bukayo Saka did to a certain degree, which is why I'm inclined towards him. He deserves his place in the team and when he has played, he has done more than Foden and Sancho.
During the 2020-21 season, I remember discussing a few other pundits about Saka's best position. A lot of them suggested that he could be brilliant as a full-back, but I think would be wasted in that position. Having played there myself, I have no qualms in admitting that I wasn't nearly as skilled as Saka on the ball, so he has all the required tools to flourish in an attacking role while also keeping one eye on his defensive duties.
If you're in the England team now, you've already bought into what's happening. There are big things at stake, so when a team is functioning as efficiently as they are currently, you buy into their philosophy. I know Saka will be playing on his wrong side, but that shouldn't be a problem for a player as talented as him, as he is more than capable of hitting the byline and crossing the ball into the box with his weaker foot. He's a left-footed player, but his right foot can be quite useful. Having said that, it remains to be seen what Southgate makes of the situation, as he is blessed with a handful of talented attacking options.
England head into the game as the favorites and I fancy them to make it through to the final, but they are coming up against a determined Denmark side that has been spurred on by the awful incident involving Christian Eriksen. They became the first side in the history of the European Championships to make it through to the knockout stages despite losing their first two group games, so they have a lovely vibe going and will look to emulate their historic achievement from 1992 when they won the competition.
I was at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen a few years ago when I was involved with one of the broadcasters for the Ireland game. Denmark completely outplayed us, but we scored a late equalizer to get a 1-1 draw. On that night, I remember thinking to myself that this is a team that is capable of beating some of the best sides in the world and they've shown exactly that on the grandest stage.
You have to admire the way they've played throughout the tournament, but it remains to be seen how they approach the game against England. Will they be adventurous and look to start the game on the front foot, or will they enter protection mode right from the get-go and adopt a more cautious approach? Only time will tell.
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