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While England got off to a slow start in a timid opening few minutes against Senegal in the Round of 16, Jordan Henderson's opener in the 38th minute would ultimately open the floodgates for a dominant Three Lions display, showcasing everything that has worked for Southgate tactically so far this tournament.
The dream link-up of central midfielders Henderson and Jude Bellingham for the first goal - which has sparked conversation of a potential switch to Liverpool for the latter, fully realised the functionally of Southgate's 4-3-3 set-up via a newfound balance in the middle of the park, achieved through Declan Rice sitting in behind.
Goals have also been far from a concern for the European side despite Raheem Sterling having to return home amid an alleged home intrusion, and talisman Harry Kane only contributing one to their tally of 12, with seven of those coming from the conveniently interchangeable trio of Phil Foden (one), Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka (three each) out wide.
However, a meeting with 2018 champions France in the quarter-finals will evidently be the greatest test for Southgate's men and, namely, the strength of the backline in attempting to contain Les Bleus' formidable attack of new French all-time goalscorer Olivier Giroud up front, Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele on the right and Antoine Griezmann in behind.
On the left and arguably the focal point of the attack, however, stands the seemingly unstoppable Mbappe, who is yet to miss a beat this tournament. The 23-year-old put on a man-of-the-match display against Poland with two goals last time out, in a performance described by many as the best of Qatar 2022 thus far.
Discussion in the lead-up to their crunch-time encounter with England in the final eight naturally shifted to how the Three Lions can stop the Paris Saint-Germain star's run of goals, and many looking to the defensive structure of Southgate's XI as a result.
The England back four, which currently consists of Luke Shaw and Kyle Walker as the respective full-backs, and John Stones alongside the oft-maligned captain Harry Maguire at centre-half, has kept three consecutive clean sheets after letting two slip during their six-goal rout of Iran in their Group B opener.
However, the attack of both an elimination-bound Wales and Senegal, bar the latter's opening half in their Round of 16 clash, failed to significantly threaten the England defence, while USA did everything in their power to make sure of a scoreless draw.
In what will be their greatest challenge of the Qatar tournament, a change in defensive structure for England would not only come with a shift in their fully functional 4-3-3 set-up, but would also provide Southgate with an unwanted selection headache, as noted by Eurosport writer Andi Thomas.
While Southgate has not shied away from shifting formations mid-tournament in the past, as evidenced in his change from a 4-3-3 to a 3-4-3 set-up during their disastrous 2022 UEFA Nations League campaign, the Three Lions head coach may very well do the same in their quarter-final against France.
This would potentially see Walker revert to a right centre-half role, inviting Kieran Trippier to fill the right wing-back position in order to double team the pace of Mbappe. The Manchester City man could also fill the wing-back position to man-mark the French attacker, with either Eric Dier or Conor Coady dropping in as the right centre-half instead.
While this proposition likely poses as England's best chance of stopping the run of the prolific Frenchman, it would ultimately come at the expense of one of Southgate's three firing attackers or red-hot midfielders, which could be equally detrimental to their hopes of progressing beyond the tournament's final eight.
While both familiarity and functionality with the Three Lions' current formation is on Southgate's side, a dramatic tactical change in midfield or attack would be a misguided step in the manager's quest to beat the defending world champions.
How to watch England v France LIVE on SBS
Sunday, December 11
Quarter-Final - England v France
5:30am - 8:30am (AEDT) - kickoff at 06.00am
LIVE on SBS and SBS On Demand
