IT was England rugby union boss Eddie Jones that first really championed the idea of ‘finishers’. According to Jones, there is far too much obsession about who is in the starting line-up for a game, when actually it is the players on the field at the end of the match that tend to have a disproportionate impact on its outcome.

Jones argues that the primary role for the starting side is to establish a strong foundation in the game, and ensure that at the very least, it is still in the balance come the final quarter. Then, it is up to the ‘finishers’ introduced from the bench to transform things by providing a sudden burst of energy and creativity. Rather than attacking substitutes being regarded as not quite good enough to warrant a place in the starting line-up, Jones views them as ‘game changers’ with attributes that are often most effective in the closing minutes, when legs and minds are tiring.

Gareth Southgate would no doubt shy away from being quite so explicit. But when it comes to assessing England’s game plan at these European Championships, especially now the tournament has reached the knockout phase, Jones’ tactical template is a decent summation of Southgate’s thinking.

It could be argued that England’s starting line-up against Germany on Tuesday was unnecessarily defensive. By switching to a back five, and also naming two defensive-midfield players in Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips, Southgate was limiting his side’s attacking ambition.

However, by negating Germany’s attacking strengths, particularly in the wing-back positions, the England boss successfully ensured that his side kept the game tight and largely opportunity-free for the opening hour or so. Then, and only then, did his focus begin to switch to changing his side’s approach in the final quarter.

Jack Grealish is one of England’s ‘finishers’, and his 69th-minute introduction against Germany undoubtedly helped alter the course of the game. The Aston Villa midfielder had a hand in both goals, teeing up Luke Shaw for the cross that led to Raheem Sterling opening the scoring before crossing for Harry Kane to head home England’s second, and thanks to his ability to isolate defenders by dribbling directly with the ball at his feet, Grealish immediately asked different questions of the German defence than they had been posed by Bukayo Saka.

Given that England’s opening goal came within six minutes of Grealish’s introduction, there was no need for Southgate to try anything else expansive. When the England boss made his second change with three minutes left, it was a conservative switch, with Jordan Henderson replacing Rice.

However, had Grealish not had such an instant impact, there is a good chance that one or two more of Southgate’s ‘finishers’ might have made it onto the field. Mason Mount, Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford all boast the capability to change a game in the space of a single pass or burst into the 18-yard box, yet they were not involved in Tuesday’s starting side. Some supporters will regard that as a waste of their attacking talent. Southgate, on the other hand, is simply happy to know they are there if required.

“With forward players, we’ve got so many good attacking options,” said the England boss after Tuesday’s victory. “When you look at the France-Switzerland game the other night, there were six changes on both teams. So, over half the team changes during the course of a game. Everybody has to be ready, and that’s only going to get more and more important as we get to the latter stages of the tournament.”

The key question now is whether Southgate will stick to his blueprint for Saturday’s quarter-final with Ukraine. For all that the opposition might be regarded as a step down from Germany in terms of attacking options, there is every chance he will.

Having guided his side this far, the England manager is not about to start throwing caution to wind. A reversion to a flat back four might open up a place for either Mount or Foden, but the majority of England’s attacking starlets will remain on the bench.