England search to strike balance between style and substance

England are into the knockout stages of Euro 2020 as group winners but there remains a feeling more is needed with Germany now next up

Gareth Southgate has guided England to the knockout stages (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

If you'd offered most England fans seven points, three clean sheets and top spot in the group before a ball was kicked this summer they would have taken it. But this being the Three Lions at a major tournament, many are still to be fully satisfied.

England are into the knockout stages of Euro 2020 after securing their passage as group winners with a 1-0 win over Czech Republic at Wembley on Tuesday night.

Raheem Sterling scored the only goal of the game - with his and England's second of the tournament - as the hosts added to the win over Croatia and draw with Scotland with another performance of solidity and stubbornness, but without too much style and spark to go with it.

Blessed with some of the best attacking talent England have had in years, supporters understandably want to see their team put their foot on the pedal earlier and more often while Gareth Southgate equally knows that you don’t win many competitions in the group stage but you can very definitely lose them.

It is a timeless tale of football management as coaches search for the perfect balance between defence and attack. And while it is fair to say Southgate is yet to properly find it yet at this tournament, with Germany now looming in the last-16 he still believes there is more to come.

"We've played two opponents in the Croats and the Czechs who I think are playing at a very good level. And Scotland, which as an occasion and an experience for our players, especially the younger ones, was a quite unique and really important one, so these will be different games,” he said after the match and before the reunion with the Germans was confirmed.

"We know world champions, European champions and Germany, who to me look like they're back on song. They've brought some very experienced players back in. So whoever we play, (will be a) really, really tough opposition but we've sort of known that for 18 months. We've known the route through.

"The good thing from our point of view is I think we're still improving, we look difficult to play against. There's more to come from us. We've got more match minutes on the pitch for some important players and that squad depth is going to be important because I felt like we've run out of steam a little bit in a couple of the games.

"To be able to make the changes and the substitutions has been really helpful to manage the games."

The overwhelming downside of England’s journey thus far has been the enforced absence of Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell, who both missed the win over the Czechs after being forced to isolate following an "interaction" with Chelsea teammate Billy Gilmour on Friday night.

Both will be available for selection for the start of the knockout phase but a lack of time on the training field could leave the manager shorn of two Champions League winners for the biggest game so far.

Southgate is frustrated by how the whole scenario has played out after following tournament protocols to the letter throughout.

"I think that we've been incredibly vigilant throughout, really, so it's been a real anomaly what's happened with the two boys," he added. "But because of what's happened we've had to speak to the players again just to remind them, but frankly our protocols meant we've not come unstuck in the past.

Raheem Sterling has scored England’s only goals so far (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

"How we've come unstuck and others haven't is beyond comprehension for me, really. Just because there's some evidence of ours and yet clearly the situation with others has been a higher risk in terms of passing the virus on, so it feels particularly harsh for our two players.

"It's not helpful for us as a team, but devastating for the two boys that they're in a major championship and they've had to miss out on a big part of it in this way."

The pair are set to be the only missing pieces as the England coaching staff embark on a week-long stretch of training with their charges between now and the last-16.

Tournaments don’t usually grant such a luxury with matches routinely coming thick and fast leaving Southgate in no doubt his group have to make it count.

"The first thing is it's great to have a couple of days to be able to recover the players because a few of them have had quite a heavy load in the last week or so at the end of a very long season," he added. "We've got make sure that we don't overdo the work on the training ground.

"The difference for the next game compared to (Tuesday) morning (is) we wanted to change the way we were defending and we couldn't get on to a training pitch to do it. We had to do it in team meetings, really, so huge credit to the players for adapting without the ball the way they did.

"Of course you always want training time. It's the thing we don't have as international managers and we've had hardly any of it with the full group because of the complications at the start of our training camp.

"It will be nice to have it looks like everybody available bar the two lads who are isolating and that time, once we know who our opposition are, will definitely be helpful."