England v France: This is Gareth Southgate’s chance

Well then, Gareth, it’s time to face the music.

Al Bayt Stadium is the setting  for England’s showdown with France on Saturday. If Southgate’s England have not yet passed the major tournament test, they will have to on Saturday night.

The England manager has consistently been told that his knockout wins have been against sub-par opponents and that the Three Lions have whimpered to losses against the top-class sides because of his negative play style.

On Saturday, the man with the highest win percentage in major tournaments of any England manager, who turned a failing Three Lions into the powerhouse we see today, can finally prove his critics wrong.

England and France have arguably been the two best teams in the tournament, even with Brazil and Argentina remaining. Hence, the side that comes out on top will be favourites to reach the World Cup final on 18th December.

Kyle Walker v Kylian Mbappe, Adrien Rabiot v Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice v Antoine Griezmann. Wherever you look in this Quarter Final, there are matchups that will make fans of both sides nervous.

This will be the biggest test for either side so far in the tournament, considering every side they have faced has tried to sit 11 players behind the ball and hit them on the break.

Only Tunisia succeeded at this, and it was against a much-changed France side that included Eduardo Camavinga as a left-back. As Carl Anka of the Athletic tweeted, “Camavinga is many things, but he’s not a left back.”

This is what makes the game on Saturday so enthralling. As observers, we have yet to determine how either team will react to giving up a large portion of the possession because we have not seen them tested like this in the last few years.

It is difficult to look back at the most recent Nations League Division A fixtures and use them as case studies, as both England and France were woeful for different reasons.

Gareth Southgate was vocal about using the games as friendlies, and as a result, his England side had some horrendous results. Conversely, Didier Deschamps’ France had well-documented chemistry issues, which he has seemingly cleared up. 

France have arguably displayed the only semblance of fragility from either team so far, going behind against Australia in their opening game of Qatar 2022.

France have been particularly vulnerable in the wide areas, reportedly not lost on Southgate, who plans to exploit Mbappe’s lack of defensive effort.

Whether this will work or not is a different story. The 23-year-old is playing the best football of his career and has cemented his place as the best player in the world right now. His finishing ability, first touch, and pace would frighten any defender, and he has now broken Pelé’s record for the number of goals by a player under 24 at the world cup with 9.

An attempt to pin Mbappe back, far from the areas where he can hurt you, may only result in more pressure on England’s defence if Les Bleus have a counter-attacking opportunity.

Because of the electrifying speed of the France side, there are questions about whether England will change their formation. Throughout the World Cup, England have played with a 4-3-3, but some have called for the Three Lions to revert to the 3-4-3 that they ran throughout the Euros and the majority of Southgate’s tenure.

The formation would give their defence more stability and protect Harry Maguire, who would not want to get into a race with Mbappe or Ousmane Dembele on the other side.

However, the idea of changing formations is just another, less apparent form of Southgate doubt from his critics, suggesting that he doesn’t have the tactical acumen to attack France and win. Despite the scepticism, many England fans feel, Southgate has just as many weapons at his disposal going forward as Deschamps.

Jude Bellingham showed against Senegal why he is one of the best midfielders in the world right now, and the front three of Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane and Phil Foden looked as if they could tear any team apart for fun. 

For once, England fans must have a little faith. It’s time for Southgate to face the music, and we need to trust him when he does.

For more on the World Cup, click here.