Round of 16 Talking Points, analysis, Gareth Southgate team choice, England left-back, Cristiano Ronaldo dropped, France can’t score goals, latest, updates

The 2-1 victory also preserved England boss Gareth Southgate’s streak of qualifying for the quarterfinals at the four major tournaments he has managed at.

But the final eight might not be the last stop for England given how lopsided the draw is.

Should the Three Lions get past Switzerland, they’ll face either the Netherlands or Turkey in the semi finals.

Yes, none of those opponents are easy beats, but considering Spain, Germany, France and Portugal are the remaining teams on the other side of the draw, it’s fair to say England wouldn’t want to trade places.

Aside from England’s lack of balance in the midfield and attack, Southgate must work out how to solve a problem perhaps all of his own doing: left-back.

Luke Shaw, who has not played since February, was picked in the squad as Kieran Trippier, a right-back by trade, has been forced to deputise in the left-back role.

However, Trippier was forced off with an injury against Slovakia as Bukayo Saka, who began his career at left-back but has evolved into a damaging right-winger, slotted into the role.

So, how does Southgate solve the issue against Switzerland?

Trippier insists he will be fit to play, but his continuous desire to turn in-field and play the ball off of his right foot means opposition players know exactly what his next move is.

Shaw is back training with the squad but given he hasn’t played since February, there’s a risk he breaks down again.

Saka is an option and given England’s depth in the forward positions, moving the Arsenal star to left-back isn’t out of the question.

Ezri Konsa and Joe Gomez, who both logged minutes at left-back for England prior to Euro 2024, can play there but are centre-backs by trade and will offer little going forward.

It would not be a surprise to see anyone other than Trippier at left-back against the Swiss, but it also would not be a surprise to see someone else take the Newcastle defender’s place at some stage during the game.

Regardless of who ends up playing there, it is a headache Southgate could have avoided with a different team selection.

$414M WORTH OF ATTACKING TALENT … AND STILL CAN’T SCORE

Real Madrid may have handed Kylian Mbappe a $245 million signing bonus last June and Barcelona may have forked out $169 million to sign Ousmane Dembele from Borussia Dortmund in 2017.

But France cannot buy a goal from these two.

Despite not scoring a single goal from open play at Euro 2024, France are still alive as Jan Vertonghen’s own goal handed Les Bleus a 1-0 win over Belgium in the Round of 16.

Yes, the same France team that boasts Mbappe, one of the best strikers in the game, and Dembele, an electric forward who can twist defenders into a pretzel.

Mbappe does have a goal to his name at this tournament but that came via a penalty against Poland in the group stage.

The only other goal from France was when they beat Austria 1-0 in their tournament opener when Maximillian Wober turned the ball into his own net.

It’s worth remembering that France are masters of knockout football.

They won the 2018 FIFA World Cup and made the final at the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2016, demonstrating French boss Didier Deschamps’ tactical nous in the latter stages of the tournament.

France also aren’t struggling to create chances, firing off 19 shots against Belgium and Poland 15 against the Netherlands and 14 against Austria.

Having conceded one goal all tournament — a penalty against Poland — France are clearly a formidable defensive unit and have a dynamic midfield.

But they desperately need their superstar forwards to click into gear against Portugal.

DAMNING EVIDENCE SUPPORTS BRUTAL RONALDO CALL THAT MUST BE MADE

Cristiano Ronaldo did not miss a second in Portugal’s penalty shootout win over Slovenia, but the burning question remains as to whether he should have remained on the field.

Despite boasting a ripped physique most males would swap their own for in an instant, Ronaldo is 39 and is nowhere near as explosive as he used to be.

And even when he had the chance to be the hero he fluffed his lines from the penalty spot in extra time.

It meant Ronaldo’s goal drought at Euro 2024 continued, despite having taken the most shots out of any player (20).

Excluding a penalty against Ghana at the 2022 World Cup, Ronaldo has also now failed to score in his last eight games at a major tournament.

If it was anyone other than Ronaldo, one might imagine Portugal manager Roberto Martinez might have dropped them by now.

But it is Ronaldo, the nation’s record goal scorer, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner and one of the greatest to ever play the game.

Martinez now faces a crucial selection call: does he stick with Ronaldo, or does he take the drastic step of dropping him?

Fernando Santos, Martinez’s predecessor, made the staggering decision to drop Ronaldo at the 2022 World Cup in place of Goncalo Ramos for Portugal’s Round of 16 tie against Switzerland.

Ramos, aged 21 at the time, proceeded to score a hat-trick as Portugal demolished Switzerland 6-1.

Although he struggled initially this season with Paris Saint-Germain, Ramos scored eight goals in his last 14 league games for the French giants so it’s not like he’s entering the tournament completely out of form.

If it’s not Ramos, Liverpool forward Diogo Jota is also a viable option up top in place of Ronaldo, so Martinez is not short of options.

Dropping Ronaldo may not be a popular call, especially given the 39-year-old’s remarkable ego.

But it might be one Martinez has to make to give Portugal the best chance of winning.

TEEN SENSATION BEHIND HEAVYWEIGHT’S FAVOURITE TAG

Spain solidified their status as a major favourite to win 2024 with a resounding 4-1 victory over Georgia that could and perhaps should have been more.

The contest gave Spain a different challenge they hadn’t faced at the tournament as the world No. 74 sat back and happily ceded possession.

Unlike the group stage when Spain averaged 54 per cent possession across the three games, La Roja had 76 per cent possession against Georgia, meaning they had to find new ways to break them down.

The challenge became even harder when Georgia took a shock lead in the 18th minute via an own goal as the minnows happily parked the bus.

Enter Spain’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal.

The Barcelona standout, who is just 16 years old, played with a fearlessness you rarely see in football as he became the youngest player to appear in the knockout stages at a European Championship.

Operating as Spain’s right winger, Yamal was a menace and constantly looked to get behind the defensive line.

He’d dance across the field with the ball at his feet before passing it and darting into space in the hopes of unlocking Georgia’s defence.

In the end Yamal finished the game with an assist and will feel like should have had a goal to go with it as well.

As The Athletic’s Dermot Corrigan wrote, Yamal has quickly established himself as a young star on an insane trajectory to the very top.

“Nothing seems to faze the Barcelona prodigy, whose technical quality, decision making and ability to impact games in key moments is already world class,” Corrigan said.

A quarterfinal against Germany represents an incredibly difficult test for Yamal, but given how well he’s played so far, the youngster could end up having the biggest say on one of the biggest stages.