England V Czechia

[Midlands Yellow 4,114]

6 minutes ago, Alex Moss said:

Nice bloke for sure, no doubt about that, but I don’t really remember him doing anything at club level, surely he had success at one of those he managed? Palace, Boro etc?

He’s only managed Boro and managed to get them relegated having spent decent money. 

[Alex Moss 2,165]

4 minutes ago, Jim Smith said:

We are through. There is no pressure on us. Kane needs a goal to get going. This is a great chhance for Southgate to take the shackles off and send them out with a real attacking mindset. 

Pickford

James Mings Stones Trippier

Rice Henderson

Foden Grealish Sterling

Kane

What I like about Italy is this was there attitude right from the outset 🏆👍

[sgncfc 1,259]

We always grab on to hope, so players like Mount and Foden are touted as world class as soon as they show any quality. Then they turn up at tournaments and seem like pale imitations of their former selves. All the freedom they have at club level is pressured out of them.

Our problem has always been that our players compare with anyone's but our management is consistently dreadful at making them play as a team. Southgate will always revert to the players who he perceives deserve his loyalty and those are inherently defensive, because it's easier to play consistently as a defender. It's obvious to anyone watching from outside that the only genuine matchwinner in the squad is Grealish; everyone else just does what they're told to do without much of a clue how to operate outside of those instructions. Other nations have two or three such players in their team - we have never played them, going all the way back to the days of Hoddle, Currie, Bowles etc. It's our equivalent of Argentina not finding a place in their team for Messi because he doesn't defend well enough.

No one since Venables has worked out how to get an England team to play with any creativity

[sonyc 5,541]

4 minutes ago, Alex Moss said:

What I like about Italy is this was there attitude right from the outset 🏆👍

Spot on.

Even from the damned national anthem! They are up for it.

[Jim Smith 2,349]

Southgate’s problem is he only knows how to play counter attacking football which was fine when we were not so good and also when Rashford and Sterling were bang in form. However now we are seen as a strong side and with those players not on song he doesn’t seem to have an answer to his we should play when we have more of the ball or how we control the tempo of the game. He doesn’t like ball players in midfield. He doesn’t know what to do with them. It’s why he never picked Maddison and he plays Grealish through gritted teeth. But those are the sort of players we need in deeper lying positions if we are ever going to be more than a good kick and rush side. 

[Alex Moss 2,165]

1 minute ago, sonyc said:

Spot on.

Even from the damned national anthem! They are up for it.

And let’s not forget they’ve beaten arguably 3 better higher ranked sides in their group than what we have faced, playing without fear and plenty of guile and first to last minute determination. It’s chalk and cheese quite frankly, and they are an absolute pleasure to watch - which is not something we’ve associated with Italy as a national team for the last 30 years or so. Looking tournament favourites for me.

[Hank shoots Skyler 2,094]

59 minutes ago, TheGunnShow said:

They're good squad players, or in Mount's case, having a breakout season so potentially quite close.

*player of the season 

[Robornio 107]

What I’d like to happen…

1. Ditch Declan Rice, who can’t pass beyond 90• when facing our own goal. I just don’t get the hype and seen very little good in which he offers the team. Oliver Skipp shows how it should be done… win the ball back, look to move the ball forward or alternatively make a run. 

2. Ditch Sterling. Great speed and agility, but has the technique and footballing brain of a toddler. Only person who can dribble past two players, to then trip over the ball and kick the air.

3. Play more offensively. Supply the striker or support him with another. Only have one CDM when playing poorer teams. Play real wingers or use CAMs that can feed balls through.

4. Southgate realises that making a tactical change is a good thing when it’s clearly not working, and not like-for-like substitutes.

5. Never let that dreadful band back in the stadium ever again. Thank you pandemic for that alone! 🙏🏻
 

What I’d like to happen and what will happen are two very different things. I predict either 1-0 or 0-0 tonight. 

Edited June 22, 2021 by Robornio

[Christoph Stiepermann 1,155]

The route of all England's problems imo is that whoever is the manager tries to play football like all the other international teams, slow, patient, very cautious football with lots of horizontal passing and no pressing or rough tackles. 

Virtually every player in that team plays in the Premier League, not one of those players plays in a team that sets up like Southgate sets his side up, they're not used to playing that way and it's not going to get the best out of them.

We should be trying to impose the Premier League style on other teams and see if they can handle it. By that I mean give them absolutely no time on the ball, harry, press and fly into tackles, absolutely bully teams in the middle of the park, get the ball forwards as fast as possible, run and dribble at players, play for dangerous set pieces etc I have a feeling it would be a lot more successful than our current approach

[Alex Moss 2,165]

13 minutes ago, Christoph Stiepermann said:

We should be trying to impose the Premier League style on other teams and see if they can handle it. By that I mean give them absolutely no time on the ball, harry, press and fly into tackles, absolutely bully teams in the middle of the park, get the ball forwards as fast as possible, run and dribble at players, play for dangerous set pieces etc I have a feeling it would be a lot more successful than our current approach

So in other words, and I couldn’t agree more btw, pretty much just like the Azzuri then! 🇮🇹 

[TheGunnShow 6,029]

3 hours ago, Christoph Stiepermann said:

The route of all England's problems imo is that whoever is the manager tries to play football like all the other international teams, slow, patient, very cautious football with lots of horizontal passing and no pressing or rough tackles. 

Virtually every player in that team plays in the Premier League, not one of those players plays in a team that sets up like Southgate sets his side up, they're not used to playing that way and it's not going to get the best out of them.

We should be trying to impose the Premier League style on other teams and see if they can handle it. By that I mean give them absolutely no time on the ball, harry, press and fly into tackles, absolutely bully teams in the middle of the park, get the ball forwards as fast as possible, run and dribble at players, play for dangerous set pieces etc I have a feeling it would be a lot more successful than our current approach

That was pretty much what they used to do with the so-called Golden Generation, a stronger team than this England line-up IMO (the likes of Terry, Scholes, Beckham, Neville, Shearer would all get in this team with ease). And it failed at the higher levels.

This England team is not good enough to get beyond the quarters. Said it for ages, and I'll keep saying it until they're KOed.

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

4 hours ago, Bonzo said:

The England team against Scotland had 6 players who have played in a Champions league final (5 this year).

If that isn't world class I don't know what is.

The problem is their gutless manager.

Why are we worried about finishing top? It doesn't matter who we play Gutless as you call him, is scared to name a talented progressive front five. Its always a four. Phillips and Rice spend their time passing to each other because they haven't the same talent to look to pass it forward.

And now we don't have Mount, he is going to have to play Sancho and drop Foden back into the middle. But he won't. It will be Rashford.

Pickford

Walker Maguire Stones Shaw

Henderson

Sancho Foden Grealish Sterling

Kane

And tell Grealish to run at them up the middle, not out wide where free kicks amount to poor crosses.

[TheGunnShow 6,029]

4 hours ago, Alex Moss said:

Just to respond to the edited part that wasn’t in the original quote I initially quoted -

I am pretty confident if you were to go to the pub after the Scotland game and ask the punters if they thought England’s style was ‘bang on’, then the vast majority would be finishing you a very funny look indeed.

And you mention we’re doing alright considering the players we’re missing, I can’t think of one that is anymore world class if you like that the ones we already have at our disposal. TAA for example wasn’t exactly impressive this season, and Harry Maguire is no more in the world class bracket than any of the others we have other than I suppose Mings.

It's bang on to get through the group considering two of the team leaders are missing in Maguire and Henderson. The performance against Scotland was poor, but Scotland played extremely well.

Pretty sure Portuguese fans were wondering "wtf" when they won the Euros last time out. Three draws in the group stage, and it wasn't a great group either with Iceland, Austria, and Hungary. In fact, I'd say those teams then were weaker than the group England are in now (which isn't an outstanding group either).

[ZLF 276]

Biggest issue is that we don't seem to have a clue how to get the best out of the terrific attacking talent we have. Not even seen sancho which is bizarre, and both foden and sterling are stifled by their approach.  Both are far better than we have seen so far. 

 

As for grealish, he deraervws a chance but there is nothing to suggest our tactics wouldn't stifle him too.   Likewise the poor use of Shaw and James who can attack far more effectively than they did v Scotland. 

Two holding mids work for France etc but need a more progressive ball player with one of either rice or Phillips when we can expect more of the ball. 

I don't expect us to lose, but may not get the win needed to wrest top spot our way without an injection of pace in movement and moving the ball. 

Perhaps farke has just spoiled us.. 

[KiwiScot 1,489]

It's either playing a different style or play different players.  Playing both seems counterproductive

[Capt. Pants 4,300]

Wow 2 pages slagging off Southgate and we haven't even kicked off yet!

Whilst we have a Premier League with virtually all foreign managers then it will be a case of the best of a bad job. Who else do they appoint? Frank Lumplards England? Stevie G?

I'm not saying England couldn't have played better, but the players are as much to blame, particularly Kane and Sterling.

One thing you can be sure of with the Euros is, the best team won't win it!

 

[cambridgeshire canary 6,835]

Rice and Phillips 🤢🤢🤢

 

Still Grealish and Saka is somewhat positive, but Sancho on the bench is still just.. bizzare

[TheGoogler 324]

Grealish and Saka 👍

Sancho might be an absolute weapon come the knock outs. Who are we likely to play by the way? Has it been determined yet?

[Capt. Pants 4,300]

Kane and Sterling. Sighs.

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 3,868]

Has Sancho been nailing Southgate's daughter or something? Saka is a decent player, but I find it strange that he's ahead of Sancho in the pecking order.

[KiwiScot 1,489]

Some changes with chance to sub in more. Looks alright.

[TIL 1010 4,815]

I don't think either us or the Czechs will be keen to top the group as either France, Germany or Portugal await the winners.

[Ekoku: The Ambassador Of The People 122]

4 minutes ago, Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man said:

Has Sancho been nailing Southgate's daughter or something? Saka is a decent player, but I find it strange that he's ahead of Sancho in the pecking order.

Haha i made this exact comment a few days ago to my England supporting mates. 

[cambridgeshire canary 6,835]

4 minutes ago, TIL 1010 said:

I don't think either us or the Czechs will be keen to top the group as either France, Germany or Portugal await the winners.

'France, Germany or Portugal'

 

Easy win for Southgate, just play two defensive midfielders and pass the ball backwards and sideways for 90 minutes then extra time for a 0-0

 

Then just pray you win the shootout

Edited June 22, 2021 by cambridgeshire canary

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 3,868]

6 minutes ago, TIL 1010 said:

I don't think either us or the Czechs will be keen to top the group as either France, Germany or Portugal await the winners.

Finish second and we play one of these at Wembley in the last 16.

Win the group and we play one of these in Russia in the quarters.

We should definitely be looking to win the group.

[Ken Hairy 3,782]

6 minutes ago, TIL 1010 said:

I don't think either us or the Czechs will be keen to top the group as either France, Germany or Portugal await the winners.

We'll want to win, got to play them at some point, may as well do it at Wembley in the 2nd end as opposed to St. Petersburg (I think) in the 1/4s if we go down the 2nd place route. 

[Capt. Pants 4,300]

You would have thought it would be Germany or Portugal. England aren't going to win it so may as well just go for it. I don't think Portugal or Germany are all that. We've qualified, we now need to get some fluidity in our play.

[daly 513]

Why bother they’re going no further 

[KiwiScot 1,489]

England lost so Scotland can take 2nd place on goal difference. We'll take Germany, France. Nae danger.

[cambridgeshire canary 6,835]

3 minutes ago, KiwiScot said:

England lost so Scotland can take 2nd place on goal difference. We'll take Germany, France. Nae danger.

Muller? Mbappe? Pfft, Hanley's faced tougher