Jose Mourinho has urged Gareth Southgate to rest Kalvin Phillips for England against Ukraine to ensure he's fit and firing for the semi-final as the Leeds United star walks a disciplinary tightrope.
The Leeds United midfielder has started every match at Euro 2020 so far. If Phillips retains his place on Saturday for the quarter-finals, that will be his fifth game in 20 days.
To complicate Southgate's dilemma further, Phillips, Declan Rice and Harry Maguire are one yellow card away from suspension. A booking against Ukraine would see them miss the semi-finals and the slate is then wiped clean after the last eight fixtures.
Southgate has opted for minimal changes in his first four matches but Mourinho believes the England boss should consider bringing in Jordan Henderson to protect Phillips and Rice.
"I would make three or four changes for this game even though it is a quarter-final, including the important defender and the two engines in midfield," Mourinho wrote in his Sun Column.
"Obviously, I’m looking from the outside and don’t have to work under the pressure of Gareth but I would say you don’t need Rice and Phillips to beat Ukraine.
"At the most, one of them is needed but you have Jordan Henderson who is in the right condition to play and other younger players, fresh with the right conditions, desire and motivation to play
"Rice and Phillips have been magnificent so far but look at the way they worked in the last match, and how Declan finished the game completely exhausted and with cramp in his legs.
"Saturday’s semi-final will be much more difficult than the quarter-final. Ukraine played extra time in theirs to get past Sweden so have more minutes in their legs and there is a difference of quality between both teams.
"England do not need to take some of the players to extreme situations of fatigue. Rest Rice and Phillips so they can then play the semi and the final to the maximum potential. But that’s me speaking.
"Gareth has 100 per cent of responsibility and pressure on him, so I would guess he may just rest one of them, so Jordan starts with one. But don’t start with both."
Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey has also the England trio to tread carefully as they walk a suspension tightrope against Ukraine.
"The way Danny Makkelie approached it from the beginning, he engaged with the players, they knew where they stood with him, Halsey told BETDAQ.
"He stamped his authority on the game with that early caution of Declan Rice, which was absolutely spot on denying a promising attack, and then with Kalvin Phillips later on in the game.
"And I thought Rice and Phillips both showed great maturity to pick up two yellow cards in the first half and continue to perform in the tough game that it was.
"If you look at Rice’s caution for that late challenge on Leon Goretzka with him bearing down on goal inside the first 10 minutes, any one of us would have done exactly the same in that situation, it’s football.
"So, you wouldn’t be disappointed with that part of his game in that situation. He took one for the team, as England were in big trouble.
"England’s players on a booking have got to be careful against Ukraine, you can’t go diving in when you’re pressing and closing players down. You’ve got to hold and not make that reckless challenge."
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