Switzerland vs. England: Winners and Losers from Euro 2016 Qualifier
England played above expectations on Monday, benefitted from standout performances from a handful of players and rightfully earned a 2-0 victory against Switzerland at St. Jakob-Park.
Danny Welbeck scored both goals for the Three Lions, and captain Wayne Rooney put in a man-of-the-match display in Basel as England got their Euro 2016 qualification program off to an ideal start with three points from their toughest opponent in Group E.
Switzerland, meanwhile, were denied on two occasions by Joe Hart but generally struggled to create meaningful chances in the attacking third.
Following are some of the winners and losers from the encounter.
Winner: Danny Welbeck, Who Returned to Goalscoring Form for His Country
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Danny Welbeck’s first England goal in nearly a year put his side 1-0 up on Switzerland just prior to the hour-mark in Basel. His second, in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time, sealed the three points for the guests.
Early on it looked as though the newly-acquired Arsenal forward might struggle against Switzerland when, after racing down the right-hand side, he wastefully failed to pick out Raheem Sterling in the centre of the box.
But there would be no mistakes after that for Welbeck, whose brace was a show of capable finishing against a typically stingy opponent.
Loser: Gokhan Inler, Who Was Partially Responsible for the First England Goal
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Switzerland captain Gokhan Inler rarely puts a foot wrong in the centre of midfield for his country, but on Monday his mistake in the 58th minute led directly to England’s first goal.
After coughing up the ball in midfield, the Napoli man could only watch as Wayne Rooney passed it to Raheem Sterling, who found Danny Welbeck at the far post for the opener.
Overall, Inler passed at a sub-par rate of 79 percent (statistics courtesy WhoScored.com) and was generally outplayed by the likes of Fabian Delph and Jack Wilshere.
Winner: Fabian Delph, Who Impressed on His Full Debut
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Fabian Delph exhibited loads of energy in the opening minutes of his full England debut.
His first action of note was to get himself booked for a reckless foul on Xherdan Shaqiri, and his tackling through much of the first half had him living dangerously.
But the Aston Villa midfielder’s ball distribution was impeccable, and it wasn’t until close to the 90th minute that he misplaced his first and only pass of the contest.
Delph was typically involved in much of what England created going forward, and his work on the defensive side of the ball was rather more responsible after the restart.
Winner: Joe Hart, Who Made a Pair of Vital Saves
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Joe Hart’s first save of significance came midway through the first half when, with central defender Phil Jones out of position, he stuck out his leg to deny Haris Seferovic from in close.
Then, in the second half, his leaping effort to again deny Seferovic preserved level terms just long enough for his attacking teammates to rush downfield and open the scoring just moments later.
Timely stops can inflate a team’s confidence, and Hart’s performance on Monday was certainly heartening from an England perspective.
Winner: Raheem Sterling, Who Is Quickly Becoming England’s Best Attacker
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No one benefited more from England’s midfield diamond than Raheem Sterling, who thrived at the tip of the formation on Monday.
Operating in a similar role to that in which he’s used at club side Liverpool, the 19-year-old repeatedly flustered the Switzerland defense with his dribbling ability, and in the 58th minute he picked out Danny Welbeck with an accurate pass that produced England’s opening goal.
Late in second-half stoppage time he linked up with substitute striker Rickie Lambert, who assisted on Welbeck’s second.
Loser: Admir Mehmedi, Who Went AWOL for the Swiss
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With Xherdan Shaqiri expected to give Leighton Baines all he could handle down Switzerland’s right-hand side, Admir Mehmedi was supposed to cause similar problems for John Stones on the opposite flank.
Instead, the 23-year-old was invisible at St. Jakob-Park, and rather than cause any sort of problems in the attacking third he rarely got a touch, passed the ball inaccurately and failed to take a single shot.
That Switzerland were so often forced to attack through Shaqiri was at least partly down to Mehmedi’s poor night.
Winner: The Diamond
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England manager Roy Hodgson deployed a midfield diamond against Switzerland, and the move proved a master-stroke.
Jack Wilshere, who functioned at the base of the formation, was generally able to keep things tidy in the centre of the park, and Raheem Sterling exploited the space in behind the Swiss midfield from the tip of it.
Fabian Delph looked especially comfortable in the set-up, and Jordan Henderson was also able to operate in a similar position to that which he’s accustomed to with Liverpool.
The diamond’s pressure on the Switzerland ball-carriers also created numerous turnovers.
