England vs Ukraine

[Ward 3 372]

You would like to think England will beat the Ukraine tonight, no disrespect to them at all. 

 

What do you ladies and gentlemen think the score will be?

First goalscorer?

What team would you like to see?

And who would you rather play in the semis IF we do win?

 

I think 2-1 with sterling carrying on his good scoring form with first goal.

Would rather play the Czechs in the semis as I feel the Danes will be more up for getting to the final for eriksen. Obviously I wish to see eriksen make a full recovery and this is a purely football based post.

Id make 1 change if I was Southgate and that would be start grealish over saka, I think saka would have more impact off the bench against Ukraine and grealish will draw more fouls in dangerous areas, well fouls and dives 🙄

Edited July 3, 2021 by Ward 3

[Fuzzar 1,702]

I'll guess 2-0 England. Kane to open the scoring. 

[canarycop 206]

I think he will go back to a back four

Pickford's

James Stones McGuire Shaw

Phillips Rice Mount

Sterling Kane Foden

Grealish is making such an impact from the bench I think that is how Southgate will continue to use him.

Don't think he is one for public clamour and I have a sneaky feeling we may see more of Sancho tonight

[sgncfc 1,227]

A nervy 1-0 win. Mount the goalscorer. Think he'll stick with Walker at right back but bring back Mount and Foden instead of Saka and Trippier.  Grealish, Saka, Sancho and Rashford off the bench if we need them.

[duke63 542]

Southgate should have been watching Italy v Belgium last night.

THAT'S how to play football, not the turgid dull 'let's make sure we don't concede' Hughton-style of football that Southgate favours.

 

[Fiery Zac 1,066]

I know we haven’t been attacking too much so far in the tournament but didn’t realise just how badly it compares with others.

We’re ranked 20th for attempts on goal with 27 over the 4 games played. That’s 5 less than North Macedonia. The only teams with less attempts are Russia, Finland, Slovakia and Hungary (who were in the group of death). Italy have had 87 (before last nights game), so 60 more attempts at goal in the same amount of minutes played.
 

Stats  can be manipulated blah blah but that’s an alarming statistic.

 

One other stat that I love from the tournament is that Hungary were only ever behind in a game throughout the whole tournament, for 6 minutes (when they lost 3-0 to Portugal, Guerreiro scoring in the 84th min). That was the group of death.

[cambridgeshire canary 6,717]

10 minutes ago, duke63 said:

Southgate should have been watching Italy v Belgium last night.

THAT'S how to play football, not the turgid dull 'let's make sure we don't concede' Hughton-style of football that Southgate favours.

 

I mean, much as I do agree with you and I am still not a Southgate fan.. He did just beat Germany.

[Ekoku: The Ambassador Of The People 122]

13 minutes ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

I mean, much as I do agree with you and I am still not a Southgate fan.. He did just beat Germany.

So did North Macedonia

[king canary 7,606]

Honestly bizarre how some people refuse to give him any credit, despite his excellent tournament record with England. 

Rumours today is he's switching back to a back 4 and Sancho will start. Can't say he's afraid to mix it up.

[duke63 542]

19 minutes ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

I mean, much as I do agree with you and I am still not a Southgate fan.. He did just beat Germany.

But all those quality attacking players at his disposal and he plays for 1-0 wins. It will be interesting to see what happens if England go behind in a game.

It will be a travesty for football if England win the tournament playing like they are.

Edited July 3, 2021 by duke63

[cambridgeshire canary 6,717]

3 minutes ago, king canary said:

Honestly bizarre how some people refuse to give him any credit, despite his excellent tournament record with England. 

Rumours today is he's switching back to a back 4 and Sancho will start. Can't say he's afraid to mix it up.

'Sancho will start'

 

And it only took 5 matches for Southgate to start the player with one of the best records this past season. Took long enough, wonder why now.. Oh, he just joined a team in the Prem? I see.

Edited July 3, 2021 by cambridgeshire canary

[king canary 7,606]

4 minutes ago, duke63 said:

But all those quality attacking players at his disposal and he plays for 1-0 wins. It will be interesting to see what happens if England go behind in a game.

It will be a travesty for football if England win the tournament playing like they are.

Out of interest would yiu be happier if we'd done a France? Played on the front foot and gone out in the second round?

[TIL 1010 4,746]

I think i will wait for the **** Official Match Thread**** before i make any further comment. 😜

[Fiery Zac 1,066]

21 minutes ago, king canary said:

Out of interest would yiu be happier if we'd done a France? Played on the front foot and gone out in the second round?

Not going to have a long debate again as my thoughts are covered in the other thread. England are doing a fantastic job of getting through playing tournament football, however..

Not a France but I’d like us to do an Italy. Use the strengths within the squad; weighted to the attack (for both Italy and England) but also manage the game when necessary.

Italy have been the most entertaining team in the tournament, are through to the semis but also know how to do the dirty stuff, defend and waste time. To our credit, England haven’t time wasted to the extent of the Italians last night but then we don’t have the impressive, fluent attacking play to mask the dirge.

[duke63 542]

28 minutes ago, king canary said:

Out of interest would yiu be happier if we'd done a France? Played on the front foot and gone out in the second round?

It would have been more interesting.

Aside from City, i have no great affiliation to any international team, i just want to watch great entertaining football being played at its highest level. England are not doing that.

 

[Midlands Yellow 3,984]

I don’t believe any England side has had an easier pathway to get to the final of a major championship. Add to this tonight’s match will be the first away from Wembley then Southgate has delivered what was expected so far. 

Still a 6/10 up to now but hopefully the shackles will be loosened in Rome tonight. 
 

[Crabbycanary3 994]

26 minutes ago, Fiery Zac said:

Not going to have a long debate again as my thoughts are covered in the other thread. England are doing a fantastic job of getting through playing tournament football, however..

Not a France but I’d like us to do an Italy. Use the strengths within the squad; weighted to the attack (for both Italy and England) but also manage the game when necessary.

Italy have been the most entertaining team in the tournament, are through to the semis but also know how to do the dirty stuff, defend and waste time. To our credit, England haven’t time wasted to the extent of the Italians last night but then we don’t have the impressive, fluent attacking play to mask the dirge.

We have the players.................

[king canary 7,606]

27 minutes ago, duke63 said:

It would have been more interesting.

Aside from City, i have no great affiliation to any international team, i just want to watch great entertaining football being played at its highest level. England are not doing that.

 

Fair enough. I can understand if you're not really supporting any team then England probably aren't thrilling the neutral!

[kirku 1,332]

Assume, like many other observers, that he'll go 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 as there's little need to match up the wingbacks like they did against Germany.

Saka apparently has a knock, so looks unlikely he'll start. Would be good to see Mount back in and wonder if it will be Sancho or Foden to come in on the right.

[Coneys Knee 953]

43 minutes ago, duke63 said:

It would have been more interesting.

Aside from City, i have no great affiliation to any international team, i just want to watch great entertaining football being played at its highest level. England are not doing that.

 

Exactly this. I’m chuffed to bits we’re progressing through the tournament and I’m chuffed to bits we beat Germany BUT we are not entertaining with our style of football which is made even more inexcusable given the flare and talent that is in the squad.

All this nonsense about “tournament football”. What a load of guff. Just an excuse for turgid football. These tournaments (normally) come round only every two years, the world wants to see the best players playing the most entertaining football regardless of result surely. See Italy V Belgium

Football was invented as a form of entertainment. Shame so many people seem to forget this.

Edited July 3, 2021 by Coneys Knee

[king canary 7,606]

Maybe I'm missing something from last night/the tournament in general but I've not seen all that much excitement from Belgium? Italy were very good last night, Belgium largely hopeless but carried by having the world's best striker and probably the world's best attacking midfielder.

[Alex Moss 2,165]

2 hours ago, Ward 3 said:

You would like to think England will beat the Ukraine tonight, no disrespect to them at all.

One thing I learnt going out with a Ukrainian girl was that the single most quickest way to offend a Ukrainian as an English person was to call their country ‘The Ukraine’. And I realised why when I was asked (deliberately) which part of ‘The England’ I came from! 

We should have too much for Ukraine tonight, but they are definitely dangerous going forward and I won’t be underestimating them! It would be so bloody England to knock out Germany relatively easily then lose to a smaller footballing nation in the next round!

[sgncfc 1,227]

1 hour ago, Crabbycanary3 said:

We have the players.................

I'm not sure that we have the players to play the way Italy do, using such a high energy press. It's akin to the way Leeds play, and to Liverpool of the title winning season; very high energy; non-stop shuttles all over the pitch, and constantly passing forward.

Haven't seen the stats but I'd like to know how the England players compare on ground covered, sprints completed etc. Looking at the games, I'd expect Italy to be way ahead.

The attempts per game stats are certainly telling.

Having said all that, I'm confident we'll get to the final. Less confident about what we do when we get there.

[Crabbycanary3 994]

22 minutes ago, Alex Moss said:

One thing I learnt going out with a Ukrainian girl was that the single most quickest way to offend a Ukrainian as an English person was to call their country ‘The Ukraine’. And I realised why when I was asked (deliberately) which part of ‘The England’ I came from! 

We should have too much for Ukraine tonight, but they are definitely dangerous going forward and I won’t be underestimating them! It would be so bloody England to knock out Germany relatively easily then lose to a smaller footballing nation in the next round!

Sounds nice and feisty Alex 🙂 

P.S According to the latest rankings, Germany are a smaller footballing nation 😉 

[Crabbycanary3 994]

3 minutes ago, sgncfc said:

I'm not sure that we have the players to play the way Italy do, using such a high energy press. It's akin to the way Leeds play, and to Liverpool of the title winning season; very high energy; non-stop shuttles all over the pitch, and constantly passing forward.

Haven't seen the stats but I'd like to know how the England players compare on ground covered, sprints completed etc. Looking at the games, I'd expect Italy to be way ahead.

The attempts per game stats are certainly telling.

Having said all that, I'm confident we'll get to the final. Less confident about what we do when we get there.

I feel we have the players to impose an attacking game , and keep pretty much all current opposition having to deal with that as their priority , and also have the defensive savvy players to dictate opposition forward play (if not individual players with flashes of genius , which would be true in any game tbf)

Our pressing game vs Germany was in the minority, but that side of the game could develop. Just need to learn that and impose it if required.

[AJ 1,219]

As opposed to Germany where we looked to match them, feel like we should play to our strengths tonight and play a bit more attacking

[South Sider 114]

3 hours ago, Ward 3 said:

What do you chaps think the score will be?

Just for the chaps this one?

#BragAboutOurInclusiveClub

Edited July 3, 2021 by South Sider

[It's Character Forming 1,160]

If people don’t support England or do but want entertainment, that’s fine for them, I don’t care.

 

I think if Germany had reached the 1/4 finals with our results and playing style people would be going on about how remorselessly efficient and organised they are.

 

For me I’m happy we’re doing well in a championship we’ve rarely done at all well in. Tonight I just hope we progress.

[Alex Moss 2,165]

23 minutes ago, Crabbycanary3 said:

Sounds nice and feisty Alex 🙂 

P.S According to the latest rankings, Germany are a smaller footballing nation 😉 

That they are, Crabby! She was part of the Aleksandr Usyk family, the Ukrainian boxer who fights Anthony Joshua next, so I wasn’t going to argue with them - I’m just Alex from The Norwich!

And is that true, Germany are now below Ukraine in the FIFA rankings?! Crikey, how the mighty have fallen! 

[Crabbycanary3 994]

Ha ha.

No I meant Germany are lower than we are. So we beat a team lower ranked than us