This England squad

[Blurboy1980 36]

Sorry it’s not Norwich but …. 
 

What’s beautiful about this England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 team is their youth. We possibly could go on a run for the next 10 years at least and be one of the best in the world. It’s a beautiful feeling. Covid delayed the Euros & helped the youngsters mature & get better. If it was last year I don’t think we would be in this position right now.

 🦁🦁🦁 

[Michael Starr 519]

I honestly feel like the changes in pressure, ignoring the noise, focusing more on player wellbeing, reducing the media intrusions, discouraging the club vs country gripes and tackling racism in the world... i think THAT is why England are now playing to potential. Before, all of the above perhaps overwhelmed us resulting in us falling short over and over. I can see us now potentially winning this competition and then, finally, we unlock our mental handicap and start winning trophies regularly. We've always been good enough.

Edited July 4, 2021 by Michael Starr

[A Load of Squit 5,128]

Being Lefty, Woke Marxists helps. 😀

 

 

[Wings of a Sparrow 1,409]

I'm not usually England's biggest fan, but the talent, strength in depth and the belief the players have just now is Incredible.

[Christoph Stiepermann 1,131]

I hope we see a period of dominance for a while where we regularly at least make the semi's of major tournaments and hopefully win one (most like this one) so we can stop hearing about tournaments like Euro 96 and the win in 66. We're the biggest football nation in the world, we have the biggest and highest paid league and the most money to throw at it yet the narrative around the England national team is often that of the hard done by, plucky underdogs and it just doesn't sit right with me. Watching a team with players of the caliber of Lampard/Gerrard/Scholes/Rooney etc play like a bunch of brainless donkeys made them incredibly difficult to support for me personally. 

Like another poster has said, we've always been good enough, it's just been because of incompetent management, a weak mentality and historically poor coaching at club and youth level in this country that has meant we've been rubbish at international tournaments but that isn't something we should re-write into a 'well at least the lads tried and did us proud' narrative. It was embarrassing. 

For me the change hasn't just been because of the work the FA has done and finally having a manager that can organize players into something resembling an effective unit, it's that in the past 10-15 years we've seen a great improvement in the standard of coaches and managers at clubs in this country that means our players are now being trained from a young age to be tactically and technically better than they ever have been before and we finally seem to have caught up with other major countries in that regard. 

 

Edited July 4, 2021 by Christoph Stiepermann

[chicken 2,604]

I think 10 years is very optimistic. Many of these players will not still be playing international level football or even club level football still in 10 years. 

Henderson will be 41 and more likely part of a coaching set up or manager somewhere. Kane will be 37. Calvert-Lewin would be 34.

I think 5-6 years is more realistic. Longer term depends on what other players come through to take the mantle off those now inheriting it.

Whilst I am also impressed with this England squad, they arguably have the best opportunity to win a tournament I have seen since Euro 96. Arguably, an even better opportunity. They found themselves in arguably the easiest half of the draw post the group stages. They faced and dispatched an aging German side - and I think it is absolutely fair to say that many of the other sides considered to be genuine contenders, were also aging or going through a period of transition.

I mean this as no disrespect but I don't think it is the best England squad we have had on paper, but at the moment it is arguably our best united and playing as a well oiled machine England team in a long while.

Italy and Spain - for example. Belgium and France also fall into that category. There are players in those squads who have been held up as quality international players who may not be at the next tournament next year.

I can't remember a tournament as ripe for the taking as this one. If Southgate can keep them steady it's absolutely all in their hands and totally within sight.

[ghoul 12]

I think in the past the sheer weight of expectation, particularly from the red top media, has been not just unjustifiable but has actually hindered matters. 

Imagine being in the position where you are representing your country and the press thinks you should not just play to your potential, but win a whole tournament.  And we all know how the same press reacts when they fail.. players/managers singled out for villification and ridicule.. 

.. still able to give your 100% focus to the cause?

I think this changing of the narrative from expectation to underdogs by the England camp is a direct consequence of that.  And it appears to be working.  

Just enjoy the ride.  Be in it to win it, and we're still in it.

[Michael Starr 519]

Only Italy can stop us winning the Euros now.

Edited July 4, 2021 by Michael Starr

[Crafty Canary 495]

I doubt Denmark would agree with you.

[GenerationA47 747]

Classic England…. jumping ahead to 10 years of world domination without having won a bloody thing

 And then if we crash out v Denmark or Italy… people will be ‘How awful’ because the fantasy falls apart.

 Enjoy the ride now.. let the next tournament take care of itself

 

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

When managers talk of one game at a time, they mean it.

To win the tournament would be great for us all but to look past that is premature. We are only a Harry Kane bad injury away from a different approach.

[Alex Moss 2,165]

Great to see we’ve not put the kiss of death on it by having a suit commissioned for Gareth Southgate with that irritating saying ‘It’s Coming Home’ inscribed all over it.