Key Battles That Will Shape England's Clash with Switzerland
England's latest qualification campaign begins with a testing trip to Switzerland.
For Roy Hodgson's side, this is the toughest fixture on the route to Euro 2016. They face a higher-ranked nation, with better memories of World Cup 2014 and with a better starting XI at their disposal.
The Three Lions can at least look to previous encounters to generate confidence. England are unbeaten against the Swiss in eight previous meetings stretching all the way back to the 1980s, comfortably winning their most recent jaunt there in 2010.
Ahead of the Group E kick-off, here's a look forward to what promises to be an intriguing contest.
Xherdan Shaqiri vs. Jack Wilshere and Jordan Henderson (if Fit)
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Xherdan Shaqiri is the poster boy of Swiss football and will trouble England wherever he plays; predicting exactly where that is, however, will be tough for Hodgson to anticipate.
Shaqiri started the World Cup against Ecuador on the right flank, cutting in on his left foot. He then found such little joy against Patrice Evra, who completely smothered him early on in France's 5-2 win, that Ottmar Hitzfeld felt the need to make a switch.
Shaqiri was tried on the left flank to little effect, before finishing that same game as a No. 10. He continued in this role for the rest of the tournament and impressed, scoring a hat-trick against Honduras.
That said, Switzerland are under new leadership, so exactly where Vladimir Petkovic prefers the Bayern Munich man remains to be seen. If England begin with just a two-man central midfield partnership and no holding option, as was the case against Norway, Shaqiri must surely start as a No. 10 and look to exploit this.
Raheem Sterling vs. Stephan Lichtsteiner
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Raheem Sterling is quickly becoming England's most important player. Hodgson will look to the Liverpool man to provide a creative spark and will expect him to launch several counter-attacks on his own.
Whether Sterling starts behind the striker or stays on the left remains to be seen, but he will presumably spend time in all areas of the final third.
Up against him on the left will be Juventus' Stephan Lichtsteiner, a player who was sent off against England in 2010 and did not enjoy a productive World Cup. Sterling must be used to target him.
The right-back was regularly troubled by opposition wingers in Brazil and seems far less comfortable playing as a regular full-back. For his club, he is generally deployed as a wing-back.
Attacking Lichtsteiner's channel is England's best chance of success on Monday.
Ricardo Rodriguez vs. John Stones or Calum Chambers
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Behind Shaqiri, Ricardo Rodriguez is arguably Switzerland's best player, along with Granit Xhaka.
The marauding left-back has become something of a statistical marvel in the Bundesliga, regularly topping categories for goals, assists, dribbles and chances created among defenders. He will provide a genuine threat overlapping down Switzerland's left and will be one of their main attacking weapons during this game.
Given England's glaring weakness at right-back, expect the Wolfsburg man to engage his marker at every possible juncture.
Whichever of John Stones and Calum Chambers does start, Rodriguez will provide a stern test of their international credentials.
Wayne Rooney vs. Johan Djourou
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Switzerland boast a strong side on paper except for one area: central defence.
Although Johan Djourou, Steve von Bergen and Philippe Senderos own around 50 caps each, and Fabian Schar boasts considerable potential, none are at the current level to start for a Premier League side with realistic top-six ambition.
In Daniel Sturridge's presumed absence, Wayne Rooney must lead his team and ask questions of an unconvincing centre-back tandem.
The Manchester United man has three goals in three meetings with the Swiss and will hope to maintain that scoring ratio on Monday.
Roy Hodgson vs. Vladimir Petkovic
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It's a little cliched, but both managers will play a key role in this match, specifically regarding their set up.
For Switzerland, there's a lot of intrigue over Xhaka's role. The talented youngster began the World Cup as a No. 10, but shifted to a flank once Shaqiri found success in that position.
Given his substantial passing range and ability to dictate and control the tempo, Petkovic must surely drop Xhaka into a deeper central midfield role—as he plays for Borussia Monchengladbach. Any more time spent playing on the flank is a colossal waste of talent.
For England, Hodgson has many dilemmas over shape and personnel. Selecting Stones—a promising centre-back but a player yet to show any Premier League class at right-back—would be a major gamble, especially with a rampaging Rodriguez to contend with. Chambers has more top-level experience at right-back and is the wiser pick.
Elsewhere, a two-man midfield seems overly accommodating against the likes of Shaqiri, Xhaka, Gokhan Inler and Co. Is Hodgson flexible enough to adapt? We shall see.
Prediction: Switzerland 2-1 England
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