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Should England make any changes for the Final?

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After the semi final win over Denmark would you change the starting eleven?

For me I would replace Pickford.

Whilst he is a very good shot stopper his headless chicken demeanour when the ball is passed back to him and the rushed ‘get rid of it’ lump upfield which generally means the opposition then have the opportunity to mount another attack could cause us problems against a team like Italy.

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I absolutely agree he is a bomb scare at the back and our weakest link, but to replace him at this stage would be idiotic and suicidal. The keepers on the bench are not at his standard or match sharp.

I would like to see Phillips replaced as I have done for most of the tournament as I still don’t ‘get’ what he brings. Seems ok in defence and not that effective in attack. Henderson may be a better option there. 

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Grealish for Mount would be my change, but what do I know!

Pickford has been solid, one of our standout players.

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I'd also have Grealish in for Mount, and earlier subs as players like Saka dropped massively 2nd half against Denmark.

Wanted to see more of Bellingham and Sancho tbh, and wouldn't be unhappy with either coming in, but it would seem harsh on the core players who've helped us even get to a final for a change!

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All round not quite ready to take on the world but we are getting there.

 

Calm the nerves and show some bravery and who knows what will happen.

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I'd be tempted to go back to the team that played v Germany to match the Italian formation, with maybe Sancho starting over Saka.

I'll honestly never understand the Grealish obsession. 

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We need Germany game Pickford, not Denmark game Pickford - where it was like having a frightened chihuahua in goal.  That game aside, he's had a strong tournament and the other options on the bench are weak.  I guess Italy will target him though, hopefully he pulls out a worldie.

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Italy leave a lot of space for teams to counter, so players like Saka or Sancho could be vital. Don't think it is a game that suits Grealish as I don't expect England to dominate possession. Back three would probably be a good idea again as Italy's attackers look to drop off the defenders, having a back three would allow them to step out more to cover this off. Denmark really exploited the space between England's midfield and defence.

Think it will be a really tough game for England, Italy's style is probably the most effective to exploit England's weaknesses. But if England can beat the press and get good balls out to Sancho/Saka and Sterling, they will love running at Italy's backline. Doku for Belgium showed that while Italy can deal with crosses into the box all day, a quick, tricky attacker will get joy against them.

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I understand that the referee for Sunday will be carrying 3 cards in his pocket....A Red, a Yellow and an Equity card for the Italian squad - as they'll no doubt be theatrically falling to the playing surface like they're auditioning to be extras for the beach assault scenes in 'Saving Private Ryan'.....  

Edited by Mello Yello
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1 minute ago, Mello Yello said:

I understand that the referee for Sunday will be carrying 3 cards in his pocket....A Red, a Yellow and an Equity card for the Italian squad - as they'll no doubt be theatrically be falling to the playing surface like they're auditioning to be extras for the beach assault scenes in 'Saving Private Ryan'.....  

Bit rich given our penalty the other day!

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Just now, Fr. Chewy Louie said:

Bit rich given our penalty the other day!

Yah, yah absolutely yah......I mean good heavens - what will the rest of europe and the world think of us?......  

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10 minutes ago, Fr. Chewy Louie said:

Bit rich given our penalty the other day!

Exactly. The harsh, brutal fact is that this notion that England is the "home of fair play" and don't do much simulation is deluded nonsense. Franny Lee was famous for diving and that was back in the 70s. Then there was Michael Owen's flop against Argentina too. Stevie Gerrard was partial to getting a soft free-kick but that got hidden amongst his set-pieces and commanding performances.

Unfortunately they're as bad as each other nowadays.

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3 minutes ago, TheGunnShow said:

Exactly. The harsh, brutal fact is that this notion that England is the "home of fair play" and don't do much simulation is deluded nonsense. Franny Lee was famous for diving and that was back in the 70s. Then there was Michael Owen's flop against Argentina too. Stevie Gerrard was partial to getting a soft free-kick but that got hidden amongst his set-pieces and commanding performances.

Unfortunately they're as bad as each other nowadays.

Well I blame Brexit.....

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5 minutes ago, TheGunnShow said:

Exactly. The harsh, brutal fact is that this notion that England is the "home of fair play" and don't do much simulation is deluded nonsense. Franny Lee was famous for diving and that was back in the 70s. Then there was Michael Owen's flop against Argentina too. Stevie Gerrard was partial to getting a soft free-kick but that got hidden amongst his set-pieces and commanding performances.

Unfortunately they're as bad as each other nowadays.

I don't think we're as bad as Italy but then I don't think any team in this tournament is. 

One soft penalty is not equivalent to the 20 minutes of pure cynicism we saw v Belgium. 

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6 minutes ago, king canary said:

I don't think we're as bad as Italy but then I don't think any team in this tournament is. 

One soft penalty is not equivalent to the 20 minutes of pure cynicism we saw v Belgium. 

Tomato, tomayto territory for me. Fact is, England has produced a lot of players over the years with a propensity to go down too. Deliberately mentioned earlier examples for that reason, so it has nothing to do with "one soft penalty".

Edited by TheGunnShow

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3 minutes ago, TheGunnShow said:

Tomato, tomayto territory for me. Fact is, England has produced a lot of players over the years with a propensity to go down too. Deliberately mentioned earlier examples for that reason, so it has nothing to do with "one soft penalty".

I think everyone has though. I don't claim England are saints or anything. I just think the 'you can't moan about Italy feigning injury' because of the Sterling pen is a bit disingenuous. 

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It's good to know we have two systems (4 or 5 across the back) that work and the flexibility to change it up with some incredible players to come off the bench. Can't see anything changing from the Denmark game though. Italy have more pace than Denmark but their full backs will need to protect those old biddies they've got at centre back.

Jordan Pickford has been good all bar the Denmark game, generally his distribution is good. One less Redbull before the game Sunday and he'll be grand.

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Just now, king canary said:

I think everyone has though. I don't claim England are saints or anything. I just think the 'you can't moan about Italy feigning injury' because of the Sterling pen is a bit disingenuous. 

Agree with the first sentence, and I'll readily accept that you've not made a claim for the England team to be saints as well. However, the whole notion of criticising another team for exaggeration when your own has a recent case history of it.... that's hypocritical in my book.

At that point people are quibbling over perceived extent instead of the principle.

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I think he'll bring Sancho in for Saka, Emerson is a more defence minded LB than Spinazola so I think he will go with a more attacking right midfielder. 

Edited by Ken Hairy

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I'd go Sancho for Saka, as Emerson is a weak link I feel for Italy and Sancho would be better for exploiting that.

I also wouldn't be opposed to seeing us revert to three at the back which would mean Trippier for Mount, but I'd prefer to leave the formation as it is.

Pickford has looked nervous in the last couple of matches, but dropping your keeper for the final after conceding one goal in six matches during the tournament is incredibly harsh and would probably cause several players to lose a bit of trust in Southgate which would cause problems down the line as well as completely destroy Pickford. He'd likely never recover from that.

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1 minute ago, TheGunnShow said:

Agree with the first sentence, and I'll readily accept that you've not made a claim for the England team to be saints as well. However, the whole notion of criticising another team for exaggeration when your own has a recent case history of it.... that's hypocritical in my book.

At that point people are quibbling over perceived extent instead of the principle.

But extent does matter in my opinion. It is bit like Pulis saying his teams aren't long ball because everyone plays some long balls.

Every team indulges in some form of gamesmanship. It happens. I don't love it but I can accept it. However when it goes as far as Italy went v Belgium I can't accept it in the same way. 

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4 minutes ago, king canary said:

But extent does matter in my opinion. It is bit like Pulis saying his teams aren't long ball because everyone plays some long balls.

Every team indulges in some form of gamesmanship. It happens. I don't love it but I can accept it. However when it goes as far as Italy went v Belgium I can't accept it in the same way. 

Sure, but the key bit is "perceived". I'll guarantee you every die-hard England fan will look for every vague hint of simulation by Italians, but not take English ones into account, or say "he had a right to go down".

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I don't get why people want Grealish instead of Mount - we'd seriously miss Mount's workrate and pressing over what Grealish gives.

Be tempted to go with Sancho over Saka personally but that's very much open for debate.

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That 'Immobile' incident though did make I larf.....and he probably doesn't give a flying fig what anyone thinks of his feigning theatrics.....

Anyway, Sancho for Saka first and see how it goes.....that's the beauty of the depth of our squad, and to change it as necessary or required......It's 34 games undefeated for the Azzurri....Well, records are there to be broken.....

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I wonder if we will see Rashford subbed on. It seems crazy to take Kane or Sterling off at any point so I doubt it.

Edited by KiwiScot

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I tend to think Grealish slows the game down. There is nothing wrong with that but it doesn't suit if we may have to counter a lot if Italy do dominate possession.

If anything I would like Henderson for Phillips. Not only is he a better, more experienced player, I think Phillips is a potential red card in this game.

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Can see where people are coming from replacing Phillips with Henderson for his experience, but Phillips hasn't let Southgate down. Expect to see 3-4-3 with Trippier or James in for Mount and Sancho or Rashford in for Saka

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